Singapore aims to halve the energy consumption and carbon emissions of its desalination plants and increase the efficiency of its Newater technology, as part of its goal to enhance water security while reducing the nation’s carbon footprint.
The Republic will also unveil one of the world’s largest floating solar panel systems next month at Tengeh Reservoir. First announced in February last year, the 60 megawatt-peak system will generate enough energy to power Singapore’s five water treatment plants, creating a “fully green water works system”, says Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu.
The project is under construction by national water agency PUB and Sembcorp Floating Solar Singapore, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Industries (Sembcorp). The system’s 122,000 solar panels are spread across 10 solar panel islands, equivalent to the size of 45 football fields. When operational, they will produce enough electricity to power around 16,000 four-room HDB flats for a year, offsetting 7% of PUB’s annual energy needs.
See: Sembcorp and PUB begin construction of floating solar farm on Tengeh Reservoir
“We will progressively deploy more solar photovoltaic systems in other reservoirs, such as Bedok and Lower Seletar Reservoirs, and use the solar energy to power water pumping stations,” says Fu in her opening address at this year’s Singapore International Water Week (SIWW), taking place virtually from June 21 to July 2. Since 2008, SIWW has been a platform for global water leaders, experts and practitioners to share best practices, collaborate on urban water solutions and generate new business opportunities.
With population growth and climate change, water stresses will only continue to rise, says Fu. “Besides domestic use, water is critical to industries ranging from the semiconductor plants in Taiwan to the farmers in California.” Looking ahead, Singapore will unveil the self-sufficient Tuas Nexus — an integrated solid waste to energy (WTE), used water treatment and reclamation facility and food WTE plant — in 2025.
The facility will enhance resource efficiency by tapping on synergies with other sectors, says Fu. “Apart from solar power and the WTE incinerator, the used water sludge and food waste will be combined to produce biogas. No fossil fuels are needed to power the Nexus’ operations.”
Advancing sustainability
Formerly known as the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment was renamed in July last year to show Singapore’s commitment to sustainability. Highlighting its part to advance the sustainability agenda in the near future, Fu says: “This year, we launched the Singapore Green Plan 2030, a roadmap to guide Singapore’s sustainable future and achieve our aspirations of net zero emissions as soon as it is viable.”
PUB launched its first Global Innovation Challenge last year and received 100 submissions from 20 countries. Eight companies were awarded pilot funding, access to testbeds in PUB’s facilities and mentorship and commercialisation opportunities through the Singapore Water Exchange. If these pilots are successful, PUB will help these companies bring their products to market, says Fu. The second edition of this challenge will be launched later this month.
“Water security is a longstanding issue,” she adds. “More than ever, we need to take a global approach to develop new solutions to our water problems.”
According to a World Economic Forum study, half the world’s largest cities experienced water scarcity and the gap between global water supply and demand is increasing.
“We must engage in the open exchange of knowledge and innovative solutions to manage global water resources in a sustainable manner. Only by working together can we ensure water security for all,” she adds.
Liveable and sustainable cities
Singapore is not alone in striving for sustainability. Speaking at a separate SIWW session, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat urged cities around the world to build “liveable and sustainable” cities as the Covid-19 pandemic passes.
However, this will require significant investment and there had already been a shortfall in infrastructure spending even before the pandemic, he says. “Prior to Covid-19, there was recognition of the infrastructure financing gap in many cities in Asia alone. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) had estimated an infrastructure gap of US$1.7 trillion per year till 2030, with needs ranging from transport to telecommunications infrastructure,” says Heng.
Green financing
One important driver is to spur more green financing. Singapore accounts for over a third of the sustainability-linked loan markets in the Asia Pacific, and the government is taking the lead by issuing green bonds to support the financing of up to US$15 billion of public infrastructure projects, says Heng.
See also: Sustainability-linked bonds: a new platform for greenwashing?
Heng also thinks that the region can invest in nature-based solutions for cities. According to research led by The Nature Conservancy and 15 other institutions, such solutions are over 30% more effective at controlling global temperatures than previously estimated. They can now provide up to 37% of emission reductions needed by 2030 to keep global temperature rise under two degrees Celsius.
Southeast Asia is home to the largest blue carbon stock in the world, with the largest areas of mangrove swamps and seagrass meadows in Indonesia and the Philippines. This can be attractive to companies looking to purchase carbon credits to offset unavoidable emissions.
Creating vibrant exchanges
To raise this potential, Heng says there is a need to “attract investments”. One way to do this is to create vibrant exchanges for the trading of carbon credits. To that end, the Singapore Exchange announced on May 20 the establishment of a joint venture the Climate Impact X (CIX).
The Singapore-based global carbon exchange and marketplace backed by co-founders DBS Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Temasek. CIX will create a rating system for participants based on existing sustainability gauges while using satellites, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology to verify the integrity of projects.
See also: MAS offering US$1.8 bil for asset managers to build sustainability hubs in Singapore
“This will allow large-scale, high quality carbon credits to be sought for standardised contracts,” says Heng. He adds: “Covid-19 has given us a once in a generation opportunity to rethink how we can plan, train and run our cities, so that we can build more sustainable, resilient and liveable cities for future generations.”
“To do this well, we must innovate, invest and integrate our efforts. I’m confident that if we put in our best efforts, we will not only manage the current pandemic well, but we can also manage other challenges and disruptions in the years to come and emerge stronger.”
