Starting from Jan 1, 2024, new projects in Singapore’s water-intensive industries will be required to meet recycling standards to help reduce water consumption. These sectors, including wafer fabrication, electronics, and biomedical industries, account for around 17% of non-domestic water demand.
Singapore’s national water agency, Public Utilities Board (PUB), expects the non-domestic sector’s water consumption to increase from 55% to more than 60%, making it a major source of water demand growth. It has mandated that wafer fabrication plants and electronic and biomedical plants that consume at least 60,000 cubic meters of water annually must recycle at least 50% of their water consumption and specified waste streams, respectively. Currently, the median water recycling rate among existing wafer fabrication plants stands at 43%.
According to PUB, with Singapore consuming about 440 million gallons of water per day and total water demand expected to nearly double by 2065, water recycling will play a significant role in reducing demand and costs.
(Sources: The Straits Times; PUB)
