Water. Desalination + reuse
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/907858
14 On Site December 2017 Water.desalination+reuse • Two special purpose vehicles will provide for two separate contracts • The client for drinking water is Office National de l'Electricité et de l'Eau Potable (ONEE) • The client for irrigation water is the ministry of agriculture, sea fishery, rural development, water and forests • A single site plan will combine the production to serve both clients Abengoa scored a coup when the Moroccan authorities opted to ramp up the capacity of a proposed desalination scheme in Agadir on its southeastern Atlantic coastline this summer. Pooling the aims of the Office National de l'Electricité et de l'Eau Potable (ONEE), which wants a drinking water resource, and the ministry of agriculture, sea fishery, rural development, water and forests, which aims to boost the quantity of water available to farmers, the expanded project provides for a desal development of up to 450,000 m3/d potentially. The initial contracted capacity is 275,000 m3/d. Finalising designs The project site is in Souss- Massa, one of the 12 economic regions of Morocco, 40 kilometres south of regional capital city Agadir — the largest beach resort in the country and a thriving internal and international tourist destination. The ministry is supplying the land for the project, and the location is chosen with an eye to the tourist industry, and to enable irrigation of 13,600 hectares of agricultural land. It is anticipated that the project will benefit 2.3 million inhabitants in the region by 2030, to support agriculture and tourism, and to help conserve local aquifers. The decision to bring together the potable water project for ONEE and an agricultural water supply scheme enables Abengoa to design the plant with a plan common to both, keeping costs down. The engineer is also proposing a wind farm to help power the facility: a decision on this by the client has not yet been taken, and it will not affect the water project either way. Abengoa is currently finalising detailed designs, with the aim to break ground in December 2017 or early 2018. "We would like to start as soon as possible, but there is some preliminary work to be completed before we begin construction," says Pedro Almagro, chief executive of Abengoa Agua. The lifespan of the project is 30 years, to include 36 months for construction from when it begins, plus 27 years of operations and maintenance. Site specifics The capacity for ONEE was increased from the original 100,000 m3/d that was contracted in 2014, to 150,000 m3/d when a new contract was signed in June 2017; at which point an additional 125,000 m3/d was added for the ministry of agriculture. The new plant will provide for both contracts with a common seawater intake and brine outfall structure, reverse osmosis treatment process, and post-treatment (carbon dioxide dosing and limestone filter remineralisation). The lines out of the plant are separate, one for each off-taker, with the flexibility to flow more water to one or the other depending on client demand. The brine outfall structure will be a 2.3 metre diameter concrete pipe built fully underground to avoid damaging the local ocean environment. Further, because the site is 42 metres above sea level, the engineer will take the opportunity to turbine the brine discharge, recovering energy for use in the plant. "We have two major objectives. One, to help the development of Agadir, where tourism is big business, and growing, and the demand for drinking water is increasing. And the other, to safeguard the natural heritage of the region and to support agriculture through irrigation," says Almagro. "Together, these two objectives help to protect the aquifers in the region, and that's a very important target of our client – to grant the sustainability of the aquifer and agricultural industry." Money matters The total value of the project is pegged at €309 million ($367 million), of which €250 million is for the desalination plant, and €59 million for 44 kilometres of pipeline, a water tank, two pumping stations, two loading tanks, and three high voltage power lines. The price of the water is repotedly $0.52 per m3. Two special vehicle companies have been formed, one for each part of the project. The first, supporting the ONEE contract, is SEDA, and is financed as a public- private partnership with debt arranged by Banque Morocaine du Commerce Extérieur (BMCE Bank), and equity contributions from private fund InfraMaroc, and Abengoa. The other, Aman el Baraka, covers the agriculture ministry's contract. If Agadir does eventually reach its total potential capacity of 450,000 m3/d, it will take its place as one of world's largest desalination plants. The new desalination plant will serve Agadir's sun-drenched tourist resorts and the thirsty farmlands of the surrounding region Two projects co-join in mega desalination plan Abengoa has negotiated a creative outcome that enables two different clients with substantially different goals to share a common desalination plant