Biwater wins US$115m Algerian reverse osmosis desalination contract

Biwater Construction Ltd has submitted the lowest bid for a Build, Own, Operate (BOO) contract for a new seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant to be constructed at Oued Sebt in the region of Tipaza, Algeria. The new plant will deliver 100,000m3 per day of high quality drinking water when completed. The plant is designed to desalinate raw seawater from the Mediterranean Sea, with approximately 38,800 mg/l of total dissolved solids, to meet the European Union drinking water quality standards.

The plant will consist of eight reverse osmosis units at a capacity of  12,500m3 per day with two stages to acquire the required boron level of 0.1 mg/l. The current design will make use of deep sea intakes with a   pre-treatment consisting of circular dissolved air flotation clarifiers and rapid gravity sand filters.

Out of six competitors, Biwater had the lowest tariff at US$0.6794/m3 with a total investment cost of US$114,961,000, with Aqualia as the runner up at a tariff of US$0.6879/m3.

The new plant is one of a series of new seawater reverse osmosis plants currently being built in partnership with the Algerian Energy Company. This is an ambitious program intended to supply Algeria with 2.3 million cubic metres of desalinated water by 2011.

An award would be a further milestone for Biwater, as it will allow the company to further penetrate the growing market for seawater reverse osmosis desalination plants.