Singapore's Fourth Desalination Plant to Produce 30 Million Gallons of Fresh Drinking Water Per Day

SINGAPORE, Feb 4 (Bernama) -- Singapore has on Thursday officially opened its fourth desalination plant at Marina East which is capable of producing 137,000 cubic metres or about 30 million gallons of fresh drinking water per day. The plant is operated by Marina East Water Pte Ltd for a 25-year concession period from 2020 to 2045, under the Design, Build, Own, and Operate arrangement with the republic’s National Water Agency, PUB. Marina East Water is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Infrastructure Holdings Pte Ltd. “Seawater desalination is one of Singapore’s ‘four national taps’. Unlike the other three taps – imports, rainfall and recycled water – it is a practically limitless source,” said Ng Joo Hee, chief executive of PUB, in a statement Thursday. “It is also weather-resistant and always available, rain or shine, as a source of life-giving water. The availability of desalination makes Singapore’s water supply immensely resilient." Known as Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant (KMEDP), the plant commenced commercial operations from June 29, 2020. It can either treat seawater or freshwater drawn from the Marina Reservoir, depending on the prevailing weather conditions. Meanwhile, Keppel Infrastructure chief executive officer Dr Ong Tiong Guan said the development and operation of the KMEDP is very much in line with Keppel’s Vision 2030, which envisages the Group providing environmental solutions to contribute to sustainable urbanisation. “The completion of the plant within budget and on schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic is a further testament to the resilience of Keppel and PUB, and our strong partnership, which has grown from strength to strength.” -- BERNAMA