Singapore is a relatively small island country with a population just under 5.5 million people in Southeast Asia. It only covers a land area of 277 square miles (718km) which means the high population density results in a water-scarcity issue. With that being said, Singapore used to rely on major water resources from Malaysia but with a plan to be self-sufficient, Singapore's Public Utilities Board contracted UGL Limited to update their existing water treatment plant that was built in 1976.
Given UGL's extensive history and experience in wastewater treatment projects, their Public Utilities Board (PUB) sought an economical solution that could allow their country to support itself with sufficient water supplies. As Singapore's population has grown over the years since their original conventional water treatment was built years ago, the demand for high-quality fresh water was exceeding its limit. The objective of UGL's contract was to modify the existing plant to treat a larger capacity of water to better serve the country's population.
The UGL Solution
For many years, the Singapore PUB worked tirelessly to secure a domestic water supply that could meet water quality standards enacted by the government but the largest drinking water plant in the country needed a massive overhaul to suit the needs of the government and citizens. UGL developed a solution that would use immersed membrane technology supplied from GE Water & Process technologies and upon completion, it was the largest plant of its kind in the world during 2003.
The design and construction implemented on the original plant resulted in an enormous increase of the clean water output of 273 million cubic liters per day. The entire project only took a short 15 months which turned the plant into the then largest operational ultrafiltration membrane-based drinking water plant. Many of the key benefits resulted from the project and one included the plant being able to meet future capacity requirements with the ability to process up to 476,900 cubic meters per day which is twice the amount of the current demand of 272,520 cubic meters per day.
Additionally, the updated plant significantly reduced its carbon footprint to lessen the impact on the environment and also cut daily operating costs. The UGL solution produces continuous high-quality, reliable clean water available for the entire country of Singapore.
Given UGL's extensive history and experience in wastewater treatment projects, their Public Utilities Board (PUB) sought an economical solution that could allow their country to support itself with sufficient water supplies. As Singapore's population has grown over the years since their original conventional water treatment was built years ago, the demand for high-quality fresh water was exceeding its limit. The objective of UGL's contract was to modify the existing plant to treat a larger capacity of water to better serve the country's population.
The UGL Solution
For many years, the Singapore PUB worked tirelessly to secure a domestic water supply that could meet water quality standards enacted by the government but the largest drinking water plant in the country needed a massive overhaul to suit the needs of the government and citizens. UGL developed a solution that would use immersed membrane technology supplied from GE Water & Process technologies and upon completion, it was the largest plant of its kind in the world during 2003.
The design and construction implemented on the original plant resulted in an enormous increase of the clean water output of 273 million cubic liters per day. The entire project only took a short 15 months which turned the plant into the then largest operational ultrafiltration membrane-based drinking water plant. Many of the key benefits resulted from the project and one included the plant being able to meet future capacity requirements with the ability to process up to 476,900 cubic meters per day which is twice the amount of the current demand of 272,520 cubic meters per day.
Additionally, the updated plant significantly reduced its carbon footprint to lessen the impact on the environment and also cut daily operating costs. The UGL solution produces continuous high-quality, reliable clean water available for the entire country of Singapore.