Supply and Commissioning of Inshore Oil Containment Boom + Hydraulic Boom Reel System for PUB Tuas Desalination Plant 3
Date of event: 4 June 2018
To cope with climate change and increasing water demand, PUB Singapore opened its third desalination plant. The Tuas Desalination Plant, which can produce 30 million gallons of drinking water a day, will help to meet up to 30 per cent of Singapore’s current water demand.
The plant is also the first in Singapore to adopt an advanced pre-treatment technology, which combines two existing filtration methods – dissolved air floatation and ultrafiltration. This will help to reduce membrane fouling when treating seawater of varying water quality, as well as to prolong the lifespan of a membrane. To reduce the plant’s carbon footprint, a 1.2MWp solar photovoltaic (PV) system will be installed on more than half of the plant’s roof surface by the end of the year. Covering more than 7,000 sqm, the solar PV system will be able to generate 1.4 million kWh of clean energy a year, which will be used to power the plant’s administrative building.
Being one of the world’s major port with more than 1,000 ships passing through every day, the desalination plant’s sweater intake is subjected to risks of oil pollution contamination from oil spillage incidents. Oil pollution contamination could detrimentally affect the water treatment systems, resulting in costly equipment repair, loss in production down-time and alter processed water quality.
With that, PUB required an Emergency Response Solution in events of oil spillage affecting their seawater intake. Working with main contractor (HSL Constructor & Steadfast Engineering), United Resources supplied 1 x 250m Inshore Oil Containment Boom + Hydraulic Boom Reel System (for proper storage and quick boom deployment) as Emergency Response Equipment, to provide deflection containment and protection to their seawater intake pipeline during oil spillages.
The solution included on-site inspection for tidal/wave conditions, water depth, boom anchorage points and deployment access. Beyond having the right equipment is having the right Emergency Response Procedures and familiarization to react during an emergency. UR also provided an on-site simulation drill, involving an emergency response team which carried out the full deployment of Oil Containment Boom to protect entire water intake pipeline. Training was also given to cover pre-use checks, operations and proper usage and maintenance.
