Binnies consults on innovative desalination water plant in Singapore

Project summary

RSK company Binnies was contracted as consultant for the ‘design–build–own–operate’ (DBOO) Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant (KMEDP) project in Singapore. This first–of–its–kind facility works to provide a reliable supply of drinking water for Singapore to help meet future demand and strengthen Singapore’s drought resilience.

The background

The large-scale, dual-mode KMEDP is the first of its kind in Singapore. The unique desalination plant treats two sources of water: seawater from the Singapore Strait and fresh storm water from the Marina Reservoir, depending on the prevailing weather conditions. The facility achieves multiple land use through housing the treatment equipment underground and featuring a lush green rooftop for community recreation, with a capacity of 700 people.

The plant will serve the needs of businesses and residents in the growing Marina Bay downtown financial district of Singapore while easing the burden on existing desalination plants island-wide.

The Public Utilities Board (PUB), Singapore’s national water agency, awarded Binnies, an RSK company, the consultancy services contract for the DBOO project to be delivered in four stages. Stages one and two included preparing the tender, which covered specifications and evaluations. Stage three involved the project’s financial aspects, and stage four was dominated by the construction element of the project.

The plant was built on a 3-ha plot of National Parks Board land and integrated with the Eastern Coastal Park Connector Network cycling trail. Landscaping and security were key design considerations in addition to the inclusion of solar panels for generating clean energy.

The challenges

This project started off with a challenge in that stage one had a fast-track schedule with a tight deadline of five months.

The solutions

Binnies was able to complete stage one within its tight deadline using its multidisciplinary team that included financial and commercial advisers KPMG and legal advisers Squire Patton Boggs.

Stage four construction began in June 2017; throughout this stage, Binnies provided construction supervision and commissioning support services through to project completion in June 2020. The facility was formally opened in February 2021 by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The impact

Now fully operational, the plant serves the needs of businesses and residents in the growing Marina Bay downtown financial district and will ease the burden on existing desalination plants island-wide. It has the capacity to process over 30 million gallons of drinking water per day.

Owing to its outstanding design features and exceptional Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters standards, KMEDP became the first industrial plant in Singapore to be awarded the ABC Waters Certification (Gold) by PUB in October 2019.

In 2021, KMEDP was named the ‘Desalination Plant of the Year’ at the Global Water Awards.