Seawater desalination project opens in Singapore

The Singapore national water agency PUB and desalination solutions provider Hyflux have opened Tuaspring Desalination Plant, a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant.

The plant, located on a 14ha site in Tuas, has the capacity to treat 318,500m³ of desalinated water a day. It can meet up to 25% of the country’s current water demand.

The plant uses Hyflux’s Kristal ultrafiltration membrane technology for the desalination pre-treatment process. Construction began in July 2011.

PUB chief executive Chew Men Leong said "Desalinated water is an important part of our water supply, and it is set to play a bigger role with the opening of the Tuaspring Desalination Plant."

Hyflux executive chairman and group CEO Olivia Lum said: "Tuaspring Desalination Plant’s compact design also reduces footprint per cubic metre by more than 30% in comparison to SingSpring Desalination Plant," the plant which opened in 2005.

Hyflux has secured a S$720m ($577m) 18-year term loan facility to fund the desalination and power plants.

Maybank Singapore will provide the project financing while Maybank Kim Eng Securities acts as the mandated lead arrangers, sole underwriters and bookrunners.