Binnies, an RSK Group company providing sustainable and resilient water, wastewater and flood resilience solutions, today celebrates its 100th year of water excellence in Singapore. As they look back on a century of partnering with Singapore in securing adequate and affordable water supply for future generations, Binnies prepares for an exciting future powered by new digital water technologies, with advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), digital twins and data analytics.
As an island nation with limited land for water storage and a lack of water resources, Singapore is considered one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. Despite a challenging environment with geographical limitations, Singapore is now a global success story in water resilience via a holistic water management approach and technology-driven infrastructure encompassing water conservation and reuse, and desalination of seawater.
As Singapore strides forward with plans to achieve a water-sustainable future, the collaboration of Binnies across the RSK Group and with innovation leaders will ensure the next 100 years see as much success as the first. Having already developed an advanced digital twin platform, Binnies will look to expand into AI, augmented reality and more granular data collection for a more technologically advanced platform that will yield greater efficiencies at a lower cost.
“Celebrating the centenary of Binnies in Singapore is a momentous occasion for us to acknowledge our heritage as we look to the future. Today, we face a pressing and immediate climate emergency that requires a concerted global effort and response. Binnies is committed to drawing on our expertise and experience in solving complex global water and environmental challenges, and working with governments and stakeholders in Singapore and around the world to address constantly evolving needs as we secure and safeguard a water future for all,” said William Yong, Managing Director, Binnies Singapore.
Since 1922, Binnies has been a present and supportive partner in Singapore’s journey to water self-sufficiency. Building upon colonial-era water supply foundations such as the Lower Pierce and Upper Seletar reservoirs, Binnies worked alongside the Singapore government to develop the first blueprint for water supply diversification for Singapore Water Supply in the 1970s. The company also played significant roles in many major water projects across the country as it transformed from a British naval base into an Asian economic powerhouse.
In recent years, Binnies has provided engineering solutions and technology for four out of the five desalination plants in Singapore: SingSpring Desalination Plant, the first large-scale seawater desalination facility for the country located in Tuas; Tuaspring Desalination Plant, a seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant that is also the largest in Asia; Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant, the only facility capable of treating both sea and reservoir water in Singapore; and Jurong Island Desalination Plant, an innovative, energy-efficient facility.
Binnies was involved in engineering works for Tuas Nexus, the world’s first fully integrated used water treatment and solid waste management facility co-located in a single greenfield site. Binnies provided engineering design for the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System Phase 2 (DTSS Phase 2), a nationwide project that completes Singapore’s long-term vision of a recycled water super-highway. At the Choa Chu Kang Waterworks, Binnies applied its digital and design expertise to set the requirements for smart technology and digital solutions to
improve operational efficiencies. Recently, the company also delivered a feasibility study commissioned by PUB for underground stormwater drainage and storage systems to mitigate the impact of rainfall-induced floods.
Beyond Singapore, Binnies has spearheaded the adaptation of the exemplary Singapore water infrastructure model across the Asia Pacific region at the Batamindo Industrial Park in Indonesia and Suzhou Sino-Singapore Industrial Park in China, among others. In Australia, Binnies has worked on the Queensland Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme and the Sydney Desalination Plant – one of the largest desalination plants in the world. The Philippines, under the purview of the Manila Water Enterprise, also applies technology and expertise honed in Singapore for several conversion projects at wastewater treatment plants.
“Binnies is a name synonymous with world-class engineering and has seen great success in Singapore and the region, and it is great to see the organisation thrive further since joining the RSK Group in early 2021. With Binnies and the other businesses in the RSK Group leveraging each other’s expertise, our low- and zero-carbon solutions and digital innovations are helping global governments and organisations mitigate environmental impacts. As we celebrate Binnies’ 100th anniversary in Singapore, we look forward to collaborating closely with various stakeholders to advance Singapore’s standing as a global hydro hub,” said Alan Ryder, CEO and Founder, RSK Group.
