VA Tech Wabag has been awarded the contract for execution of the country’s largest sea water desalination project by Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Chennai Metro Water.
The DBO-based (design, build and operate) plant, with a capacity of 100 million litres a day (MLD), is to come up on 40 acres at Nemmeli, near Chennai, at a cost of Rs 1,033 crore. The plant is expected to be commissioned in the next 24 months.
The construction cost for the reverse osmosis (RO) technology-based project works out to Rs 533 crore, which would be funded by a grant from the Centre. The scope of the project includes a seven-year-contract for operations and maintenance that is estimated to cost an additional Rs 500 crore. From the state side, Chennai Metro would be allocating the fund for the O&M contract.
The plant, being undertaken along with IDE Technologies of Israel, would convert sea water into fresh potable water, which would be supplied to the southern suburbs of Chennai. This includes the entire stretch of the IT corridor, Thiruvanmiyur, Pallipattu, Velachery, MRC Nagar and Kelambakkam.
Based on the scope of the project, IDE and VA Tech Wabag would be involved in a 30:70 joint venture.
The construction work is expected to start within a month’s time. Though VA Tech Wabag has capability to use multi-effect distillation, mechanical vapour compression, thermal vapour compression and multi-stage flash technologies, it found the RO system suitable for the Nemmeli plant. From the present water supply of 650 MLD @ 100 LPCD, the desalination plant would help to improve the per capita consumption to 140 LPCD.
Leveraging its partnership with Chennai Metrowater, VA Tech Wabag is claimed to be supplying 30% of the city’s drinking water and treating 50% of the city’s sewage.