NEWater plant in Singapore - first stage completed

Black & Veatch has announced that the first phase of the Sembcorp Changi NEWater Plant (SCNP) in Singapore was completed on schedule and began commercial operations in July. The plant uses the main advanced water treatment process steps of micro-filtration (MF), reverse osmosis (RO) and ultraviolet radiation to produce NEWater, high-grade reclaimed water. This ultra-clean water is mainly supplied to industrial and commercial customers including water fabrication plants.

When completed in 2010, the plant will supply 15% of Singapore’s current water needs.

Sembcorp was awarded the project in January 2008 and has an agreement to supply PUB, Singapore’s national water agency, with NEWater for the next 25 years. Black & Veatch provided full design engineering services for the plant along with construction support and commissioning services.

“When completed the plant will be one of the largest water recycling facilities in the world,” said William Yong, Associate Vice President and Director of Black & Veatch’s client services for the South Asia Pacific region.

The design of the SCNP reduces land use and minimises construction costs by placing the main NEWater facilities on the roof of the Changi Water Reclamation Plant (CWRP). Treated used water from the CWRP will be piped directly to the SCNP as feedwater, minimising the extent of pipework for conveyance.

“Sustainability played a big role in the project as the design focused on minimising the whole-of-life cost of the facility, keeping the capital and the operational expenditures to a minimum and helping Sembcorp submit a winning bid,” Yong added. “We had 120 professionals from our integrated global workforce working on the plant, which ensured that the design and construction stayed on the fast-track schedule.”

“We are pleased to be working with Sembcorp, one of the leading utility companies in the region,” said Ralph Eberts, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Black & Veatch’s Asia Pacific water business. “We’ve provided a full range of services on this landmark project including engineering, construction support and commissioning. In most of our global markets, we are similarly involved in all phases of project delivery, often as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor.”