Singapore International Water Week wraps up

Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2014, held from 1-5 June, attracted more than 20,000 participants from 118 countries and regions spanning government, international organisations, industry and academia.

The event was held in conjunction with the World Cities Summit and CleanEnviro Summit Singapore, with other co-located events including the 22nd United Nations Secretary-Generals’ Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB) board meeting and the 10th Asia Pacific Infrastructure Ministers Meeting (APIMM). Various announcements on company investments, R&D collaborations and project partnerships were made during the week, with SG$14.5 billion in total value for the announcements on projects awarded, tenders, investments and MOUs concluded at the event.

Some notable examples include the opening of Beijing Enterprises Water Group (BEWG) International’s regional hub and the Danish Water Technology House, as well as the location of Xylem’s Greater Asia headquarters in Singapore. BEWG International will manage an estimated SG$2 billion worth of water investments outside of China. Singapore-based De.Mem signed letters of intent with Vietnamese companies Hanoi Water Works and Dabaco Group to build two decentralised water treatment plants in projects valued at around SG$15 million, while Sembcorp Industries will acquire and upgrade an existing wastewater treatment plant in Lianyungang Lingang Chemical Industrial Park in China’s Jiangsu province.

The SIWW Business Forums saw the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) announce the construction of six desalination plants with a total capacity of more than 2.5 million m³/day, including the world’s largest reverse osmosis plant (600,000 m³/day) in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia. Municipalities and industrial parks in Indonesia, Laos, Philippines and Vietnam also shared over SG$2 billion worth of investment projects for prospective solutions providers. Meanwhile, memorandums of understanding (MOUs) were signed between Singapore’s national water agency, PUB, and companies including Evoqua, Anaergia and Grundfos to explore R&D projects in water treatment.

The new youth and talent development component of the event, Hydro-gen, encompassed the HydroPreneur Programme (HPP) and Young Water Leaders Summit (YWLS). HPP saw six shortlisted teams pitching their innovative ideas on HydroPitch Day to a distinguished panel. Approximately 40 participants represented the YWLS in the Water Leaders Summit, where they had the opportunity to share their ideas and vision for the water industry with key policymakers and world water leaders.

The third edition of TechXchange saw water technology innovators from countries such as Australia, the Czech Republic, Israel, Singapore and the United States connecting with over 200 international partners and investors to accelerate the commercialisation of new and innovative water technologies. Participating innovators displayed prototypes at the first-ever Innovation Pavilion in the sold-out Water Expo. The Water Convention and Hot Issues Workshop saw discussions focusing on technical solutions, while the Industrial Water Solutions Forum focused on efficient water use in the manufacturing sector to help companies achieve productivity and savings, as well as challenges and business opportunities for various other sectors.

The next Singapore International Water Week will be held from 10-14 July 2016. Returning exhibitors have committed more than half of the Water Expo space ahead of the event.

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