A $449.6 million contract has been awarded to Sinohydro Corporation (Singapore branch) to build facilities such as tanks and structures to treat domestic used water at the Tuas water reclamation plant.
It is the fourth major construction contract of the Tuas plant awarded by national water agency PUB. The agency said on Tuesday that Sinohydro Corporation will construct the civil and structural components of the plant's Domestic Liquids Modules, which will house various facilities such as biosorption tanks and membrane bioreactor systems required to treat domestic used water.
The plant's two Domestic Liquids Modules will have a combined treatment capacity of 650,000 cubic metres per day - equivalent to around 245 Olympic-size swimming pools of water. The treated water will undergo further purification to produce Newater, and any excess is sent for processing needs or discharged into the sea. Construction work will start next month and is expected to be completed by 2025.
As a key component of PUB's Deep Tunnel Sewerage System Phase 2 project, the Tuas plant will be equipped to receive both domestic and industrial used water streams from two separate tunnels for treatment.
A total of 14 bids were made for the contract during the open tender exercise in November last year. It encompasses the civil and structural works for the Domestic Liquids Modules. Separate contracts will be called to equip the Domestic Liquids Modules with its mechanical and electrical components.
In addition, another seven construction tenders worth $1 billion will be called before the end of next year, including the plant's Industrial Liquids Modules to treat industrial used water. The earlier three construction contracts of the Tuas plant were awarded in January and July last year and in March this year.
The first was for site development works and the second, for building the Tuas plant's influent pumping stations. The third contract was to build the plant's biosolids treatment facility.
The Tuas plant will be sited next to the National Environment Agency's Integrated Waste Management Facility. Together, they will make up Tuas Nexus, an initiative which integrates solid waste and used water treatment processes to improve the overall performance of the plant, and optimise land use.
The Tuas plant will have an initial treatment capacity of around 800,000 cubic metres per day, enough to fill more than 300 Olympic-size swimming pools.
Worth about $6.5 billion, Phase 2 of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System will convey used water from the western part of Singapore to the Tuas plant for treatment.
It is expected to be completed by 2025, replacing progressively the water reclamation plants in Ulu Pandan and Jurong.
The Deep Tunnel Sewerage System, a massive underground sewerage superhighway, is the backbone of Singapore's used water management system. The first phase of the system, which covers eastern Singapore and channels used water to the Changi water reclamation plant, was completed in 2008.
