In the news release “Tuas Nexus – Singapore’s First Integrated Water and Solid Waste Treatment Facility Begins Construction”, the National Environment Agency (NEA) (2020) claimed that the aim of the “Tuas Nexus” project is to recover any drop of water used in Singapore. The used water solution system is formed by the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS). It further explained that Tuas Water Reclamation Plant (Tuas WRP) can receive used water flows from two separate deep tunnels by gravity. One tunnel is used to transport domestic water, the other to convey commercial water of high strength. Sembcorp Architecture and Construction Pte. Ltd was assigned in March 2020 to construct the biosolids treatment facility for the plant. The release stated that by the end of 2021, another seven-building tender valued at more than $1 billion would be launched. Finally, it was reported that Phase 2 of the DTSS project is also listed as consisting 40 km of deep tunnels, 60 km of connection sewers, Tuas WRP, and the NEWater integrated factory. The integration of Tuas WRP is an important step to manage the growing need for clean water, effective space, and cost control, as Singapore's water use is expected to double in the next few decades.
To begin, the consumption of water in Singapore has always been very high compared to many other developed cities. Kog (2020) stated that the future Tuas WRP to be able to be more energy-efficient and double the energy recovery relative to traditional plants while consuming less energy. He also mentioned that with a net process energy utilization goal of 0.1 kWh/m3, 2.5 times smaller than a conventional membrane bioreactor, PUB sees the upcoming Tuas WRP as the most energy-efficient membrane bioreactor (MBR). In my opinion, the experience gained in Singapore over the years proves that it is physically and commercially viable to recycle and conserve water. The article also explained that it was unsuccessful at the beginning due to the high cost and unproven durability of the technology. However, I believe as technology advances each year, the major source of water supply in Singapore improves as well, hence moving closer to water reclamation methods.
Next, there is a growing need for efficient space management in Singapore because of the scarcity of land. Lay et al. (2017) announced that the Integrated Validation Plant (IVP) and the Demonstration Plant are part of a larger initiative to develop advanced technologies that can be applied by conserving space to the forthcoming Tuas WRP as part of Phase 2 of the DTSS project in Singapore, which is expected to be completed by 2024. As a result, the facility would be more energy efficient while taking up less space than traditional water treatment plants.
Finally, Tuas WRP is cost-efficient. Jain (2012) revealed that Tuas WRP will generate enough energy to fuel the facility while also providing excess to the Singapore electrical grid. This would also aid in lowering the cost of energy output for Singapore's consumption.
To sum up, I am in favour of the construction of Tuas WRP. I agree the project was designed to address several Singapore's most pressing issues, such as rising water use, the growing need for space storage, and the cost of running treatment facilities. Based on the facts and comments in the article and other credible references, the implementation of Tuas WRP is an excellent way to solve the need for wastewater management while retaining space and cost effectiveness.
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References
Jain, P. (2012). Addressing Delhi’s water supply problems: taking lessons from Singapore’s water management experience.
Kog, Y. C. (2020). Water Reclamation and Reuse in Singapore. Journal of Environmental Engineering, 146(4), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0001675
Lay, W., Lim, C., & Lee, Y. (2017). From R&D to application: Membrane bioreactor technology for
water reclamation. Water Practice & Technology, 12(1), 12-24. https://doi.org/10.2166/wpt.2017.008
National Environmental Agency. (2020, September 8). Tuas Nexus - Singapore’s First Integrated Water and Solid Waste Treatment Facility Begins Construction.
Thanks very much for the rewrite, Pin Kiat.
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