Explosion in Tuas Incineration Plant Killed 1 & Injured 2; Plant is Run by NEA


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Update on 24 September 2021, 4:48pm: In the earlier draft of this article, we mentioned that there are two incineration plants in Singapore: that is incorrect. There are actually four incineration plants in Singapore. We apologise for the inaccurate information.

This afternoon, as you went through the day, something tragic happened in Tuas.

An explosion took place at the Tuas Incineration Plant this afternoon, and it reportedly killed one person and injured two others.

The injured workers’ clothes were torn and blackened.

A 65-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic, while two other men, aged 59 and 64, were taken to hospital.

The incineration plant is run by the National Environment Agency (NEA).

NEA said in a statement that it was a “localised explosion” in the electrical switchroom, adding that all other TIP (Tuas incineration plant) workers are safe. Operations at the plant have been safely wound down as well.

According to SCDF, the fire involved a chimney fan switch in the electrical switchroom. SCDF extinguished a few pockets of fire with two dry powder fire extinguishers, and about 80 people self-evacuated from the premises.

What’s an Incineration Plant?

An incineration plant is a place whereby waste is burned and the heat from the energy will be used to create electricity.

There are four incineration plants in Singapore, including Tuas Incineration Plant (TIP), Tuas South Incineration Plant (TSIP), Senoko Waste-to-Energy Plant (SWTE) , Keppel Seghers Tuas Waste-To-Energy Plant (KSTP).

Not the First Explosion in Tuas This Year

Now, if you feel a sense of deja vu, it’s because currently, the hearings for an accident that occurred in February this year are now ongoing.

On 24 February 2021, at around 11:25am, a fire broke out in an industrial building in Tuas.

It was described as a “loud explosion” by witnesses.

After the accident, ten people were taken to hospital with burns. Three eventually succumbed to their injuries. They were all breadwinners in their own right: Mr Anisuzzaman MD, 29, Mr Subbaiyan Marimuthu, 38, and Mr Shohel MD, 23.

They ended up passing away from severe burns.

Subsequently, initial investigations revealed that the explosion was due to a combustible dust explosion. The dust, in potato starch powder form, came from one of the materials that the company used for its product.


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The open hearing is still ongoing.

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