Summary of Tuas Nexus - Singapore's First Integrated Water and Solid Waste Treatment Facility Begins Construction ( Draft #2)

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) are beneficial to Singapore’s sustainable development such as carbon 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 news 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 increase 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.

Firstly, let's talk about 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 where our money went. 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. I feel that "it would be unwise and a waste if such an expensive venue were left underutilized", which brings me back to my point whether Tuas Nexus is an investment worth splurging on? 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 new five years for civil, mechanical and electrical engineering works for the Tuas Nexus". 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.

Secondly, we also have to take into consideration should be made of how Tuas Nexus is cost-savings in the years to come as well. In the news article, "Billion-dollar facilities in Tuas to treat 40 per cent of S'pore's waste by 2027" (The Straits Times, 2016). He 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. Personally, I think that the huge figure will cause much disagreement to some and they might feel that the money could be put to better use. I feel that we should look at the bigger picture and focus on the long term goals that we can benefit from in the long run. 

Although PUB wasn't very informative in terms of cost in the news release, there are still some key takeaways from the article to allow the public to know the benefits of Tuas Nexus and the importance of achieving a more sustainable future. Furthermore, I believe Tuas Nexus will be here to stay for a long time. We can be assured that Tuas Nexus will be beneficial to Singapore's sustainability. 

Reference:

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

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

 

Comments

  1. JERFebruary 22, 2021 at 12:21 AM

    Hi Prof Brad, I had to repost my draft #2 because I accidentally made changes to the old draft #2 (which is the current draft #3). That explains why draft #2 post is posted at a later date instead of draft #3. Please evaluate my draft #3 instead.

    ReplyDelete

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