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Overview

With water demand projected to almost double by 2065 and increasing reliance on climate-resilient sources of water such as desalinated water and NEWater, PUB's carbon footprint is projected to more than double to about 1MT CO2-eq. Aligning with the public sector's net-zero emissions goal as announced in October 2022, PUB is committed to peak our emissions around 2025 and targets to achieve net-zero emissions around 2045, contingent on the progress of technologies and international cooperation to enable mitigation measures.

3Rs Decarbonisation Strategy

PUB adopts a three-pronged approach to replace, reduce and remove our carbon emissions for a sustainable PUB

Replacing Carbon-based Energy Sources with Alternative Sources

Solar energy is clean, renewable and the most promising renewable energy source in Singapore. This, together with rising electricity prices, has spurred PUB to progressively deploy solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on the rooftops of our installations and on our reservoirs. In land-scarce Singapore, vast reservoir surfaces serve multifunctional purposes by allowing the capture of solar energy through floating solar PV systems while serving as both water catchment and storage. Learn more about our solar projects here.
Reducing Carbon Emissions through Energy Efficiency

PUB, together with our research partners, actively explores innovative and more energy-efficient technologies for adoption in new plants and infrastructure to reduce our energy and carbon footprint.

Enhanced Efficiencies in Water Treatment Processes

Water treatment processes to desalinate seawater is energy intensive. To reduce the energy footprint from these water sources, PUB is exploring technologies such as ultra-permeable membranes, pressure retarded osmosis and ceramic membranes for pre-treatment and closed-circuit reverse osmosis to bring the energy requirement for desalination down from the current 3.5 kWh/mto 2.0 kWh/m3. This reduces carbon emissions from the desalination treatment process by 40%, equivalent to 0.6 kg of CO2 per cubic metre of water treated.

PUB is also placing a heavy emphasis on energy efficiency for wastewater treatment and is constructing Singapore’s first energy self-sufficient water reclamation plant that is co-located with NEA’s Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF) to form Tuas Nexus. By harnessing process synergies from used water and solid waste and new technologies such as biologically enhanced primary treatment used biosorption, step-feed and energy efficient membrane bioreactor and thermal hydrolysis, the upcoming Tuas WRP will maximise energy and resource recovery.

reduce
Removing Carbon Emissions

With our current efforts, we expect to abate approximately 90% of our carbon emissions around 2045 through replacing fossil fuel-based energy sources with renewable sources and reducing electricity consumption via energy-efficient technologies and water conservations. To remove the remaining 10% of carbon emissions and realise our target of net-zero emissions around 2045, PUB is working with our research partners to explore the application of carbon capture and removal solutions in our water treatment facilities.

Learn more about our research and development projects to reduce and remove carbon emissions here.
Replacing Carbon-based Energy Sources with Alternative Sources

Solar energy is clean, renewable and the most promising renewable energy source in Singapore. This, together with rising electricity prices, has spurred PUB to progressively deploy solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on the rooftops of our installations and on our reservoirs. In land-scarce Singapore, vast reservoir surfaces serve multifunctional purposes by allowing the capture of solar energy through floating solar PV systems while serving as both water catchment and storage. Learn more about our solar projects here.
Reducing Carbon Emissions through Energy Efficiency

PUB, together with our research partners, actively explores innovative and more energy-efficient technologies for adoption in new plants and infrastructure to reduce our energy and carbon footprint.

Enhanced Efficiencies in Water Treatment Processes

Water treatment processes to desalinate seawater is energy intensive. To reduce the energy footprint from these water sources, PUB is exploring technologies such as ultra-permeable membranes, pressure retarded osmosis and ceramic membranes for pre-treatment and closed-circuit reverse osmosis to bring the energy requirement for desalination down from the current 3.5 kWh/mto 2.0 kWh/m3. This reduces carbon emissions from the desalination treatment process by 40%, equivalent to 0.6 kg of CO2 per cubic metre of water treated.

PUB is also placing a heavy emphasis on energy efficiency for wastewater treatment and is constructing Singapore’s first energy self-sufficient water reclamation plant that is co-located with NEA’s Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF) to form Tuas Nexus. By harnessing process synergies from used water and solid waste and new technologies such as biologically enhanced primary treatment used biosorption, step-feed and energy efficient membrane bioreactor and thermal hydrolysis, the upcoming Tuas WRP will maximise energy and resource recovery.

reduce
Removing Carbon Emissions

With our current efforts, we expect to abate approximately 90% of our carbon emissions around 2045 through replacing fossil fuel-based energy sources with renewable sources and reducing electricity consumption via energy-efficient technologies and water conservations. To remove the remaining 10% of carbon emissions and realise our target of net-zero emissions around 2045, PUB is working with our research partners to explore the application of carbon capture and removal solutions in our water treatment facilities.

Learn more about our research and development projects to reduce and remove carbon emissions here.