Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant Overview

The Keppel Marina East desalination plant is Singapore’s fourth desalination plant. It began its commercial operation in 2020 and received the best “Desalination Plant of The Year” in the Global Water Awards 2021. 

Located in Marina East, close to the marina reservoir and the sea it is an underground seawater desalination plant. It is Singapore’s first desalination plant with a dual-mode capability to treat seawater and freshwater. 

The Marina East desalination plant has a 20,000 square meters green rooftop available for community activities. It is designed to meet sustainability needs through rainwater harvesting and recycling of water.

It is operated by Marina East Water Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Keppel Infrastructure Holdings for a 25 years concession period under DBOO (Design, Build, Own, Operate). The client company is National Water Agency PUB (Public Utilities Board). 

Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant Background

The KMEDP (Keppel Marina East desalination plant) project produces 30 MGID (Million Gallons of Imperial Water per day). It is Singapore’s first desalination plant to use Ultraviolet as the primary disinfection process. 

The Keppel desalination plant uses ERD (energy recovery device) to save energy that is sufficient to power 28 four-room HDB flats for a month. Additionally, it is equipped with a UVC system which renders 99.99% viruses ensuring safe potable drinking water.

It is Singapore’s first large-scale desalination plant with such features, built after years of testing and research. This includes the 2007 dual-mode desalination at 1 mgd pilot plant in Pasir RIS. It has been awarded the ABC (Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters) Water certification by PUB in 2019. 

Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant Timeline

Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant Scope

The Keppel Marina East desalination plant is Singapore's first innovative dual-mode desalination plant. It produces 137,000 cubic meters of potable water per day. Built underground and a lush 20,000 square meters green roof for the public activities. This fulfills the water demand and thereby, promotes public engagement too. Rainwater harvesting and water recycling systems ensure water supply to millions of people. 

This project is a key part of Singapore’s water security strategy. Its dual mode desalination plant desalinates fresh water and seawater. The reservoir water is desalinated during the rainy season and seawater during dry weather conditions. This helps to reduce the overall operational costs due to low-pressure RO treatment. 

With the entire desalination plant built underground, park space on the roof helps in public recreational activities. Thus, it was awarded the best “Desalination Plant of the Year” by the Global Water award in 2021. 

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Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant Cost

The Keppel Marina East desalination plant is operated and owned by Marina East Water Pte Ltd for a value of about USD 355 Million. It is a subsidiary company of Keppel Infrastructure. 

(KIT)Keppel Infrastructure Trust and Keppel Seghers, a wholly owned subsidiary of Marina East Water Pte Ltd, signed a 25-year concession under the DBOO contract from 2020 - 2045 on 20th January 2017.

It is under a DBOO contract for a 25-year concession period from 2020 to 2045 in arrangement with PUB. Recently, KIT (Keppel Infrastructure Trust) entered a non-binding term to purchase 50% of the stake in (MEW) Marina East Water. Thus, KIT and Keppel Infrastructure Holdings will each have a 50% stake in Marina East Water Pte Ltd.

Contractors & Suppliers 

The major contractor for this project is Keppel Infrastructure services through DBOO contract with PUB for a concession of 25 years. Other subcontractors include AECOM, Black & Veatch, and Ayesa Group. Pre-treatment equipment for this plant project is sponsored by Nijhuis Industries.

Benefits of this Project

The Keppel Marina East desalination plant boosted water security in Singapore through its dual model infrastructure thus, fulfilling up to 7% of Singapore’s daily water needs. Below listed are a few benefits of this project:

Dual-Mode Functionality

Climate change and weather uncertainty, this project is designed with dual-mode functionality to ensure consistent water supply throughout the year. It treats freshwater from Marina Reservoir and seawater during rainy and dry seasons. Thereby, strengthening Singapore’s water supply resilience. 

Increased Water Supply

Currently, this project fulfills up to 7% of Singapore’s fresh drinking water needs. However, with measures taken for the future, PUB is planning to maximize the use of the resource to meet the water consumption rate by 2060. 

Flood Prevention 

The Keppel Marina East desalination plant is located near the sea coast and next to the Marina reservoir so that the reservoir's excess water is pumped out into the sea during heavy rainfall. Hence, water calamities are prevented.  

Improved Public Engagement

With a desalination plant built underground, the green rooftop with 20,000 square meters is open for community activities like cycling and running. Additionally, The Marina Barrage dam created for Marina Reservoir allows people for recreational activities such as picnics and kite-flying. 

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Conclusion

The Keppel Marina East desalination plant built by PUB and Marina East Water Pte Ltd produces 137,000 cubic meters of water per day. It contributes to 7% of Singapore’s water needs. 

Its 20,000 square meters green rooftop supports recreational activities for public engagement. Commissioned in 2020, it was awarded the ABC Water Certification (Gold) by PUB in 2019 and the Best Desalination Plant of the Year award by Global Water Awards in 2021.

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