PUBLISHED ONDecember 26, 2025 3:02 AMBYSean LerNational water agency PUB will call for a tender on Friday (Dec 26) to study the feasibility for a potential new water desalination plant in Singapore.
The city-state currently has five operational desalination plants: three in Tuas South, and one each at Marina East and Jurong Island.
In a statement on Friday, PUB said the feasibility study is expected to take around 10 months to complete.
"[It] will entail the development of various plant design options, and assessments on the technical feasibility and economic viability of the proposed designs," said the agency, adding that the study will also assess the viability of a dual-mode plant similar to the existing plant in Marina East.
A dual-mode desalination plant is equipped with the capability to treat either seawater of freshwater, with the flexibility to switch between modes, thereby enhancing the weather-resilience of Singapore's water supply.
PUB expects the feasibility study to incorporate lessons learnt from existing desalination plants, such as including higher multi-storey buildings and deeper basements to house treatment facilities.
The national water agency said it will balance the benefits of such alternative designs, which it says help to maximise land-use, against considerations of potentially higher costs and technical feasibility.
Desalinated water is Singapore's fourth national tap introduced in 2005. The others are: local catchment of rainwater from reservoirs; imported water from Malaysia; and high-grade recycled water, more commonly known as NEWater.
"PUB will continue to invest in expanding our water infrastructure to safeguard our water supply and security," said the agency.
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