Project Meets Sustainability Goals Through Iconic Used Water Development in Singapore

Black & Veatch* and its joint venture partner will work with PUB, Singapore's national water agency, to shape one of the most significant and anticipated used water projects in Asia.

The Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) is a core used water infrastructure which provides a cost-effective and sustainable solution to support Singapore’s continued growth and meet its long-term used water infrastructure needs. The project will free up land for other higher-value developments, support the production of ultra-clean, high-grade reclaimed water known as NEWater, improve energy efficiencies and potentially leverage the water-energy-waste nexus.

DTSS uses deep tunnels to convey used water by gravity to centralized water reclamation plants (WRPs) located at the coastal areas. The used water is then treated and further purified into NEWater, with excess treated effluent discharged to the sea through an outfall.

Black & Veatch, together with its joint venture partner AECOM, is the appointed professional engineering services consultant overseeing the development, engineering and construction of DTSS Phase 2, which covers the western and southern parts of Singapore. Services include the development of the feasibility study and preliminary design as well as programme management.

NEWater Supply

A highlight of DTSS Phase 2 will be the new Tuas WRP, which will contribute to Singapore’s long-term goal of increasing the NEWater supply to meet up to 55 percent of total water demand, further strengthening water sustainability and resilience for Singapore. In addition, the Tuas WRP will treat 800,000 cubic meters of used water per day, making it the largest membrane bioreactor facility in the world.

Forty kilometers of deep tunnels run largely under the Ayer Rajah Expressway and will connect with the existing used water infrastructure to create one seamless and integrated system. In addition, 60 kilometers of link sewers create an interconnected network to channel used water from the existing sewerage pipelines to the deep tunnels.

To maximize the potential synergies of the water-energy-waste nexus, the co-location of Tuas WRP and the Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF) marks Singapore’s first initiative to integrate used water and solid waste treatment processes.

*A project undertaken in Singapore when Black & Veatch owned that business.