SINGAPORE - To meet future demand for treated water and production of Newater, national water agency PUB is calling a tender to expand the Changi Water Reclamation Plant (WRP).

To be completed by end-2019, the expansion will allow the plant to treat an additional 44 million gallons a day, in addition to its existing capacity of 176 million gallons a day, the PUB announced on Thursday (June 23).

The tender includes civil and infrastructure expansion works as well as the installation of advanced membrane bioreactor equipment.

"With this expansion, Changi WRP will be one of the world's largest membrane bioreactor facilities. More importantly, it will produce more treated used water effluent for Newater production and increase our water recycling rate, which will allow us to ensure a robust and sustainable supply of water for Singapore's future," said Mr Yahya Abdul Ghani, PUB's director of Water Reclamation (Plants).

Commissioned in 2008, Changi WRP is one of the largest and most advanced water reclamation facilities in the world. It treats about half of Singapore's used water, and produces treated effluent which is used to produce the ultra-clean, high-grade Newater.

Newater now meets 30 per cent of Singapore's water demand, with this proportion set to rise to 55 per cent in the longer term.

The Changi plant has a highly compact design, occupying a third as much land as conventional water reclamation plants. After expansion, it will continue to be compact and use advanced technologies, said the PUB.