NEWS

By Perla Lena | Philippine News Agency | June 28, 2024 12:44PM

AGREEMENT SIGNING. Metro Pacific Water Investments Corporation (Metro Pacific Water) and French company Suez sign an agreement for the establishment of a 65 million liters per day desalination plant in Iloilo City in a ceremony at Marina Bay Sand in Singapore on June 26, 2024. The project, once completed, can supply potable water to around 50,000 households. (Photo courtesy of MPW)

ILOILO CITY – The Metro Pacific Water Investments Corporation (Metro Pacific Water) tapped French company Suez for the establishment of a 65 million liters per day desalination plant here.

The project is identified as a medium-term solution of Metro Pacific Water’s (MPW) subsidiary Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) in addressing the water supply shortage and supporting the rapid economic and population growth in Iloilo.

“Metro Iloilo is experiencing robust economic and population expansion, driven by thriving sectors such as business process outsourcing (BPO) and tourism. This growth significantly strains local water resources, necessitating innovative solutions like the new desalination plant.

Designed to meet escalating demand, the facility promises to deliver a dependable and sustainable water supply to sustain the region’s progress in the near and medium term,” said the MPW statement on Thursday afternoon.

The firms sealed their partnership with an agreement signing at Marina Bay Sand in Singapore on June 26.

MPW president and chief executive officer Christopher Andrew Pangilinan said the partnership is a “pivotal milestone in our commitment to ensuring a sustainable and reliable water supply for the people of Metro Iloilo.”

“The new desalination plant underscores our dedication to meeting the burgeoning needs of this dynamic metropolitan area well into the future,” he said in the statement.

On its website suez.com, the French firm said it will collaborate with a construction firm in the Philippines to design, build and operate a “large-scale seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant.”

The facility can supply drinking water to around 50,000 households, and industrial water needs of the nearby power plant.

The site for the proposed desalination plant is in Barangay Ingore in the La Paz district.

MPIW, in previous statements, said the project is expected to commence in October this year, although pre-development works have started as early as January.

In its effort to address water shortage, MPIW rolled out this year several rehabilitation projects to reduce water losses and increase supply levels, including pipe rehabilitation and the use of the Sahara Mobile Leak Detection and Tyfo-Fibre Wrap Technology.

A groundbreaking and inauguration ceremony was held in April for the PHP77 million completed and new pipelaying projects covering a total of 5,418 linear meters. Once finished, the projects ensure potable water for over 6,000 households in Iloilo City.

The long-term plan is to secure water from other sustainable sources in the Visayas, including the Jalaur River Multipurpose dam in Calinog town.

Currently, MPIW sourced its water from the Metro Iloilo Bulk Water and Flo Water Resources Inc.

Other than Iloilo City, it also serves municipalities of Oton, Sta. Barbara, Cabatuan, Maasin, San Miguel, Pavia, and Leganes.

Source: Philippine News Agency