Singapore To Open
First Desalination Plant in Bid for Water Self-Sufficiency
September 13, 2005 — By Associated Press
SINGAPORE — For decades, Singapore
has relied on Malaysia to supply a huge portion of a vital resource:
water.
But the two neighbors sometimes disagree, and resource-scarce Singapore
wants to be less reliant. Aiming for self-sufficiency in water,
Singapore says its first desalination plant -- billed as one of the
biggest in the world -- will meet at least 10 percent of the nation's
water needs.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong planned to open the facility with fanfare
late Tuesday.
Singapore is also hosting an international forum this week on
desalination and water reuse, attended by more than 700 delegates from
42 countries, including some from the Middle East.
The plant, worth 200 million Singapore dollars (US$119 million;
euro96.65 million), will churn out 136,380 cubic meters (4,815,678 cubic
feet) of potable water from seawater daily. The fresh water will be
pumped into the city-state's mains, which are currently supplied from
catchment areas, recycled sewage and Malaysian imports.
Singapore imports half its water from Malaysia, and has made
self-sufficiency in water into a national priority amid a dispute with
its neighbor over how much it should pay for the imports. The
city-state's water agreements with Malaysia expire by 2061.
At the desalination plant, dissolved salts in seawater are extracted by
forcing the water through plastic membranes with microscopic pores. Silt
is removed by dousing the seawater with chemicals that coagulate the
particles.
In 2003, Singapore started recycling and purifying sewage water to boost
supply.
The country's environment minister, Yaacob Ibrahim, has said Singapore
wants to turn 90 percent of its main island into fresh water catchment
areas.
The plant was built by Hyflux, a Singapore-based water treatment
company, and Ondeo, its French partner. Hyflux is contracted to operate
the plant for the next twenty years.
Source: Associated Press |