Singapore opens world's biggest desalination plant

Kyodo News ^ | 09/13/05

[TigerLikesRooster]

Singapore opens world's biggest desalination plant

SINGAPORE, Sept. 13 KYODO

Singapore on Tuesday opened its first desalination plant, believed to be the world's biggest, to reduce the tiny island-state's dependence on imported water.

The SingSpring Desalination Plant, built at a cost of S$200 million (about $119 million), is located in Tuas in the western part of Singapore and can produce about 136,000 cubic meters of water per day.

[TigerLikesRooster]

I have the distinct impression that water bill in Singapore would be expensive because they have to pay for this project.

[Minus_The_Bear]

Singapore sells water back to KL and other Maylasian Provinces at very very high rates. It's a point of contention between them.

[satchmodog9]

I am curious how much it costs to do this in America and why desalinization is not pushed more. Is it really that expensive?

[satchmodog9]

Desalination

[Tailback]

Desalination takes A LOT of electricity.

[decal]

Nevertheless, desalination may be the only way the Western states can continue to grow - you can dam every river in the West and it won't be enough soon.

[konaice]

I am curious how much it costs to do this in America and why desalinization is not pushed more. Is it really that expensive?

Desal represents the avoidance cost of water. That is, virtually any other means of obtaining clean water is cheaper than desalinization. Pipe lines, canals, wells, even purification of river water.

We live in a water rich part of the world.

Reverse Osmosis (RO) is one popular method of desalinization that can also be used for non-salty water (such as river water). Small RO plants are getting pretty cheap, but community sized ones are still a bit spendy. RO is still cheaper by far than the old evaporation technology often uses where you have lots of sun or oil.

[satchmodog9]

Lots of sunlight is what the southwest has.

[konaice]

Lots of sunlight is what the southwest has.

But not much of the Southwest has salty water, other than California.

[satchmodog9]

That's why God gave us pipes. It would solve a lot of problems with water use and land rights fighting over rivers etc.

[mission9]

Is this a reverse osmosis plant? Tampa has had little success getting our plant to filter and produce to contract - boondoggle.

[konaice]

That's why God gave us pipes. It would solve a lot of problems with water use and land rights fighting over rivers etc.

If it were economically viable I'm sure someone would do it. As the population grows it may well become economical even if it isn't now.

Lots of areas in Baha Mexico use RO plants.

[JasonC]

Well, if the figures in the article are representative, they are getting 36 million gallons per day for $119 million invested. If you wanted to match the public water supply of California - not counting power uses or irrigation, just the drinking and household use stuff - that would cost $20 billion if you got the same price and yield. Countrywide, irrigation use is twice again the household figure - I don't know the ratio in CA specifically.

So, if someone invested in desalination plants to the tune of $10 to $50 billion, it would make an appreciable difference in a tight state, like CA. The lower figure would not help agriculture but would make it easier to supply the cites. The larger figure could double usage across the board. There might be additional operating costs, for staff and repairs etc - that is a capital cost. Transport isn't an issue for Singapore but would be to a large state, so these figures may be on the low side.

[Dinsdale]

Desalination is a way to trade barrels of oil for barrels of drinkable water.

Not a good trade-off most places (dispite the cost of bottled water).

[DTogo]

A $119M middle finger to Malaysia - take your fresh water and shove it!

[JasonC]

Doesn't follow. Most water supplies are state run and heavily regulated, with "rights" that are cross subsidies, not based on willingness to pay. If you tried to add to e.g. Los Angeles area water supply, just how would you expect to charge for it?

[BraveMan]

http://www.water-technology.net/projects/tuas/

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #15

I am sure that is how Malaysia views this event.

[konaice]

If you tried to add to e.g. Los Angeles area water supply, just how would you expect to charge for it?

It may come as a supprise to you that one of the leading investment sectors in this country is water utilities. They are not always government owned, and even when they are, it is often contracted out.

Places like Arizona have a population boom underway, and if a source of saltwater could be found that is cheap enough, it might well be that this would be a cost effective way to get potable water as the price of desalinization plants comes down. Unfortunatly it looks like its about 50 miles thru mexico to any significant source of salt water.

My point is that it has not yet reached the point where anyone can make money at this, or someone would be making money at it.

As for Los Angeles, they can go jump in the ocean. Literally.

[JasonC]

Los Angeles takes the run-off of the eastern Sierras, which would otherwise be available for AZ etc. They still would even if they used desalination, to be sure. I am well aware of water utilities and how they are financed. They have to cut deals with the municipalities to sell their water, in a highly regulated system, typically employing "cost plus" regulated prices, subsidized financing, etc. All very Rooseveltean. The marginal user does not pay a market price for water, ergo the amount of capital employed in the industry does respond to demand. Instead it has to be planned, by first estimating demand then providing incentive packages to attract the capital to supply it, with a modest safety margin.