Keppel invests $50 million in environmental technology centre

Keppel Integrated Engineering (KIE), the environment technology and engineering arm of Keppel Corporation, has completed the construction of Singapore’s largest NEWater plant at Ulu Pandan.

Officiating the opening of the Keppel Seghers Ulu Pandan NEWater Plant today was Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Other dignitaries present include Minister of the Environment and Water Resources Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister of Defence Mr Teo Chee Hean, members of the National Research Foundation, headed by Dr Tony Tan, and the Research Innovation & Enterprise Council.

The Keppel Seghers Ulu Pandan NEWater Plant has a capacity to produce 32 mgd (148,000m³/day) of NEWater to supply over half of Singapore’s current NEWater needs. It is also the largest water reuse plant in East Asia and the second largest in the world.

Said Mr Lim Chee Onn, Executive Chairman of Keppel Corporation, “Keppel and PUB have a long history of partnership, particularly in the testbedding of innovative water technologies. Projects undertaken jointly with PUB include the variable salinity plant, various membrane bioreactors as well as membrane distillation pilots.

“Keppel’s aim of being a leading provider of innovative cost-effective environmental solutions is in alignment with the vision of the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) to develop Singapore into a strong and vibrant hydro hub. We are working hard to contribute towards enhancing Singapore’s water production, conservation and treatment capabilities as well as exporting Singapore’s water expertise overseas.”

He added that Keppel, like Singapore, is keenly aware of how technology differentiates us and enables us to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive landscape.

KIE is also investing $50 million into the Keppel Environmental Technology Centre (KETC) to initiate, manage and conduct research & development, product development, engineering process improvement, project management improvement and knowledge management activities within KIE Group. KETC will employ up to 50 research personnel.

“Keppel Seghers is actively developing both water and solid waste treatment technologies. The recent initiatives of the National Research Foundation have provided us with added incentives to elevate our R&D activities to the next level. We have recently established the Keppel Environmental Technology Centre or KETC to drive and direct research efforts through our Centres of Excellence,” said Mr Lim.

For a start, KETC will carry out research in energy recovery from waste and wastewater treatment, minimisation of by-products from waste and wastewater treatment, and membrane applications for producing water from non-conventional sources.

KETC will also conduct collaborative research with leading academic and industrial research institutions around the world, including the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Public Utilities Board and National Environment Agency in Singapore, as well as Stanford University of USA, Cranfield University of UK, TNO and KIWA in the Netherlands and the Von Karman Institute in Belgium.

Presently, KIE is also involved in a $200 million contract from PUB for the construction and installation of a sewage processing module at the Changi Water Reclamation Plant in Singapore. It has commenced the construction of Singapore’s newest waste-to-energy plant at Tuas South, which is Singapore’s first incineration plant to be built under the PPP initiative.


Background Information

Keppel Integrated Engineering (KIE)
KIE is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Corporation.

Keppel Seghers, a subsidiary of KIE, is a leading provider of comprehensive environmental solutions ranging from consultancy, design and engineering, technology and construction to operations and maintenance of facilities. Its advanced technology solutions address a wide spectrum of environmental issues such as solid waste, wastewater, drinking & process water, biosolids & sludge. In addition, Keppel Seghers offers a full range of environmentally-friendly industry applications for the removal of organic substances from metal parts and tools.

To date, KIE has executed water, wastewater projects and waste-to-energy projects in more than 25 countries worldwide. KIE continues to actively pursue thermal waste treatment, water and wastewater treatment projects globally.

Centre for Water Science in Cranfield University
This is one of Europe’s largest academic centres for strategic and applied R&D. A leading international institute for research and training of water management, it is the first university department outside US to be partly funded by the American Water Works Association.

TNO
A Dutch research institute of applied scientific research, TNO is strong in the development of new products and materials, as well as process innovation.

KIWA Water Research Institute
A Dutch research and knowledge institute for drinking water and wastewater, KIWA has been conducting the Joint Research Program of the Dutch Water Sector (BTO) for more than 30 years. It is operating on behalf of the Dutch Water Association VEWIN.

For further information, please contact

Teo Chang Ching
Senior Executive
Group Corporate Communications
Tel: (65) 6413 6426
Email: changching.teo@kepcorp.com

Attachments:

Download - Speech by Executive Chairman, Mr Lim Chee Onn, Keppel Corporation

The Keppel Seghers Ulu Pandan NEWater Plant has a capacity to produce 32 mgd (148,000m³/day) of NEWater to supply over half of Singapore’s current NEWater needs.

Download - Photo (High res)