Summary of Tuas Nexus - Singapore's First Integrated Water and Solid Waste Treatment Facility Begins Construction (Draft #3)

In the news release, “Tuas Nexus – Singapore’s First Integrated Water and Solid Waste Treatment Facility Begins Construction” from the Public Utilities Board’s (PUB) websites (2020), PUB states that the incorporation of both Tuas Water Reclamation Plant (Tuas WRP) and Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF) is beneficial to Singapore’s sustainable development with regards to maximising carbon savings and land savings. PUB mentions that Tuas WRP is designed to treat used industrial water using advanced technology, unlike current water treatment plants. The objective is to increase energy efficiency while utilizing less space. In the new release, NEA notes that the IWMF is equipped with leading solid waste treatment technologies to achieve a higher food waste recycling rate. Also, the facility treats waste matters from Tuas WRP, increasing synergy between both facilities. The by-product generated at IWMF is co-digested with the used water sludge to increase the production of biogas at Tuas WRP. In return, the heat energy generated by the combustion of the biogas at the IWMF increases electrical capacity to sustain the operations of Tuas Nexus.

However, in the news release, there wasn't any information about the cost of building the infrastructure and how cost-saving Tuas Nexus is in the long run. I feel that the article covers more of the technical aspect of how Tuas Nexus "will help boost Singapore's overall recycling efforts" instead. Tuas Nexus is undoubtedly a good investment in my opinion, because of the long term benefits that the infrastructure provides.

The first element of consideration would be the cost of building Tuas Nexus. I have to agree that when it comes to monetary issues. It is a very sensitive topic, especially when it comes to taxpayers' money. As members of the public, we should be obliged to know whether our money is put to good use. According to "National Stadium must not become a white elephant" (AsiaOne, 2015), a huge investment of $1.33billion was pumped into our National Stadium, The Sports Hub. It is known for hosting big-name events like South-east Asian Swimming Championships, South East Asia Games and even National Day Parade 2016. The reason why our National Stadium is labelled 'white elephant' is because of its exorbitant cost to maintain it, and furthermore, the inflexibility of the management deters away big-name events being held here because of its expensive price tag. I feel that "it would be unwise and a waste if such an expensive venue were left underutilized". In a news release, "PUB And NEA To Call Over $5Billion In Tenders For Tuas Nexus" from National Environment Agency's (NEA) websites (2018), NEA reported that "more than S$5 billion over the next five years for civil, mechanical and electrical engineering works for the Tuas Nexus" portrays how large of a scale this project is. In my opinion, the massive budget that would be invested in the next five years shows how much emphasis is placed on achieving a more sustainable future reflects on the positive impact Tuas Nexus can bring to the table.

Another aspect for consideration is how Tuas Nexus is cost-savings in the years to come as well. The news article, "Billion-dollar facilities in Tuas to treat 40 per cent of S'pore's waste by 2027" (The Straits Times, 2016) also mentioned what long term prospects Tuas Nexus has to offer. Mr Yong mentioned that "the cost-savings are in the range of a couple of S$100 million, based on preliminary studies", said Mr Yong Wei Hin, director of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System Phase 2 at PUB. In the article, the cost of the construction was mentioned as well which turns out to be an estimated value of $9.5 billion in total. It is important to look at things from a bigger perspective by focusing on the long term goals with respect to cost-savings that we can benefit from in the long run.

Upon completion of Tuas Nexus within the next few years, Singaporeans can benefit from the ever-growing water demand by having a sufficient supply of water. And also, excess electricity to continuously power up the HDB apartments from the combustion of the biogas produced. The amalgamation of these advantages exhibits on the contrary to Tuas Nexus being a 'white elephant' and the importance of Tuas Nexus to achieving a more sustainable future. 

References

Public Utilities Board. (2020, Sep 8). Tuas Nexus, Singapore's first integrated water and solid waste treatment facility begin construction. PUB.

 https://www.pub.gov.sg/news/pressreleases/TUASNEXUS_SINGAPORESFIRSTINTEGRATEDWATERANDSOLIDWASTETREATMENTFACILITYBEGINSCONSTRUCTION

AsiaOne. (2015, December 17). White Elephant.  

https://www.asiaone.com/national-stadium-must-not-become-white-elephant

National Environment Agency. (2018, July 8). PUB and NEA to call over S$5billion in tender for Tuas Nexus.

https://www.nea.gov.sg/media/news/news/index/pub-and-nea-to-call-over-s5-billion-in-tenders-for-tuas-nexus

Boh, S. (2016, July 11). Billion-dollar facilities in Tuas to treat 40 per cent of S’pore’s waste by 2027. The Straits Times. 

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/billion-dollar-facilities-in-tuas-to-treat-40-per-cent-of-spores-waste-by-2027