SINGAPORE - National water agency PUB announced on Monday (Nov 16) that HSL Constructor Pte Ltd has won the tender to design and build Singapore's third desalination plant at Tuas.

The plant is expected to begin operating in 2017 and will add another 30 million gallons, or 136,000 cubic metres, of water per day (mgd) to Singapore's water supply. It will be owned and operated by PUB.

PUB said the open tender attracted bids from eight reputable companies. HSL won with the most competitive tender bid of S$217 million.

Desalinated water currently meets a quarter of Singapore's water demand. The other three sources are water from local catchments, imported water from Johor and NEWater.

With demand expected to increase, PUB said it intends to increase desalinated water capacity in order to continue to meet 25 per cent of future water demand in 2060.

It has awarded a consultancy services tender for a fourth desalination plant, which will be built at Marina East.

Said PUB director for engineering development & procurement, Mr Young Joo Chye: "Since its introduction in 2005, desalinated water has helped strengthen Singapore's water supply resilience. In particular, together with NEWater, it has helped us weather extremities like dry spells in recent years, and this third plant will help us further expand our water supply system to meet the growing demand in a reliable and costefficient manner.

Founded in 1994 as a small start-up company, HSL has grown into a regional player in the marine civil engineering sector.