SINGAPORE – Changi Airport managed to lower its energy and water consumption while achieving an all-time high in passenger traffic between April 2025 and March 2026 .
Despite handling a record 70.4 million passengers, operator Changi Airport Group (CAG) slashed its water consumption by 24.4 per cent – from 3.07 million cubic m between April 2018 and March 2019 to 2.32 million cubic m from April 2025 to March 2026.
This amounts to more than 300 Olympic-size swimming pools’ worth of water.
Announcing these figures in its online newsletter on June 16, CAG said the airport’s electricity usage also dipped 19.3 per cent, from 456 gigawatt-hours (GWh) between April 2018 and March 2019 to 368 GWh between April 2025 and March 2026.
This is enough to power about 19,800 four-room HDB flats for an entire year.
Jewel Changi Airport’s consumption is not accounted for in these figures.
CAG attributed the energy and water savings to multi-year engineering projects and innovations rolled out across its terminals, including the reuse of condensate water from air circulation stations in the airport’s air-conditioning systems.
This process saves over 10,000 cubic m annually – enough to fill four Olympic-size pools.
Condensate water is also used to flush toilets in Terminal 4, reducing the amount of reclaimed water, or NEWater, required for flushing from 500 cubic m to 18 cubic m each month.
Condensate water is used to flush toilets in Changi Airport’s Terminal 4, reducing the amount of reclaimed water, or NEWater, required for flushing from 500 cubic m to 18 cubic m each month.
CAG has also replaced more than 170 manual taps in the washrooms with contactless options, resulting in 60 per cent less water being used.
Elsewhere, the open-surface drainage system at the airport’s 2.2ha plant nursery captures rainwater and channels it to two collection points with a combined capacity of 6,900 cubic m for irrigation.
The open-surface drainage system at Changi Airport’s 2.2ha plant nursery captures rainwater and channels it to two collection points with a combined capacity of 6,900 cubic m for irrigation.
Having installed new, more energy-efficient chillers for its air-conditioning systems, CAG said these upgrades in Terminals 1 and 2 have cut electricity consumption by 25 GWh annually.
As part of these upgrades, traditional fans in both terminals were replaced with modular and electronically controlled ones that can adjust their speed in real time according to cooling demand.
New chillers installed at Changi Airport reduce energy required to run air-conditioning systems.
At the same time, air-conditioning temperatures have been adjusted dynamically based on passenger volume, ambient heat and building conditions to optimise energy use, while keeping visitors comfortably cool.
The operator said similar major upgrading works are scheduled to be carried out in Terminals 3 and 4. The Straits Times has asked for more details on the timeline of these works and the expected energy savings.
New lighting control systems have also been put in place to regulate illumination levels based on real-time environmental conditions.
For instance, in areas that receive natural sunlight, such as the departure halls of Terminals 3 and 4, lights are dimmed or switched off when photocell sensors detect sufficient daylight.
Motion sensors have also been installed in areas with lower passenger footfall, ensuring that lights are switched on only when necessary.
On the renewable front, Changi Airport is also home to the nation’s largest single-site rooftop solar panel system , with a capacity of almost 40 megawatt-peak.
This is equivalent to the energy needed to power more than 10,000 four-room Housing Board flats for one year.
The system helps the airport reduce its carbon emissions by around 20,000 tonnes each year – equivalent to about 10 per cent of its carbon emissions in 2019.
When asked about the total cost of these initiatives, CAG said they are part of the airport’s long-term investment in infrastructural upgrades. It added that these costs are incorporated into its ongoing operations and will ensure that the air hub’s environmental footprint is reduced.
Describing the savings in water and electricity as a “milestone”, Gerald Ng, vice-president of regulatory affairs and sustainability at CAG, said it shows that operational growth and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand.
Esther Loi is a journalist at The Straits Times, where she covers transport issues.
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