Aqualia and GS Inima have finished construction of the new desalination plant on the Tunisian island of Djerba. The infrastructure will produce 50,000 m3 of drinking water per day, which will be expandable to 75,000 m3 per day. Once commissioned and operating, the desalination plant will substantially contribute to the economic, social and environmental progress of the island, the largest in terms of surface area for the entire Maghreb region and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Tunisia. Prime Minister Youssef Chahed and members of the Tunisian government visited the new facilities, which will be the responsibility of Tunisia's national water distribution utility (SONEDE).
This event was also attended by Tunisian political authorities, international organizations involved in financing the project (German Development Bank and French Agency for Development) and the press. The design and construction project, half of which was executed by Aqualia and GS Inima, also included the seawater and effluent capture systems, well-water iron removal plant, product water pumping station and the installation of pipes to connect with the existing distribution network (23.7 kilometers of pipelines).
The consortium's contract with SONEDE also contemplates the commissioning of the facilities and their management for a period of one year. Aqualia Director of International Affairs Luis de Lope was present at this institutional event and stated that “the development of major water production projects through advanced desalination technologies such as this one at Djerba will be fundamental for meeting needs in areas such as the Mediterranean, where there is an elevated water demand.”
Aqualia has an extensive track record in desalination plants in North Africa. In addition to the two major seawater desalination plants (SWDP) built and managed in Algeria, namely SWDP Mostaganem (daily water production of 200,000 m3) and SWDP Cap Djinet (100,000 m3 daily), the SWDP El Alamein (150,000 m3 daily) is another large desalination plant currently being built in Egypt for the Egyptian Ministry of Defense.
aqualia, gestión integral del agua, S.A. is the water management parent company of FCC, one of the largest European services groups. aqualia responds to the needs of all parties, private and public, at all stages of the water cycle, providing water for human, industrial, and agricultural uses. Its main activity is the management of municipal water services.
In a short space of time the company has positioned itself as a leader in the sector, a cohesive, specialist operator at the forefront of the sector thanks to a highly-specialized and committed team that is constantly seeking new ways to improve efficiency in production processes and optimize resources.
This modus operandi, which has enabled aqualia to consolidate itself as leader in the domestic market, is also apparent in export markets, with a strategy formulated to consolidate ambitious but prudent growth overseas.
The company is the fourth largest private water company in Europe by population served and is among the top ten in the world, according to the latest ranking by the industry publication Global Water Intelligence (GWI. Nov2017).
