The Hyderabad-based IVRCL, an infrastructure company, has submitted a proposal for 200 million litre a day desalination plant in North Chennai.
The study outlines the advantages of setting up the desalination plant at Minjur where the company now has a 100 mld desalination plant to produce fresh water from sea water for supply to the city.
According to company officials, the report was submitted to the State Government when IVRCL's Chairman and Managing Director, Mr Sudhir Reddy, met with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms J. Jayalalithaa, today.
The desalination plant now at Minjur set up at a cost of Rs 590 crore by Chennai Water Desalination Ltd, a joint venture of IVRCL and Befesa, a Spanish company, went on stream last July. The joint venture, which operates the facility on design-bvuild-own-operate-transfer (DBOOT) basis, has a 25-year bulk water supply agreement with Metrowater (Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board), Chennai's public sector water utility.
The unit, which is to complete one full year of operation by the month end, is functioning smoothly and to full capacity, a company official said.
The proposal has presented the advantages of the existing location for which extensive studies including environment impact analysis and soil tests for foundation have previously been carried out for the first plant.
It may be recalled that Metrowater has called for bids from consultants to carry out a feasibility study for a 200 mld desalination plant for Chennai. This would be the third desalination plant in the city.
A second desalination unit of 100 mld is coming up about 40 km to the south of Chennai at Nemili, on the East Coast Road. This Rs 1,033-crore unit funded by the Union Government is being set up by VA Tech Wabag for Metrowater. After setting up the unit Wabag will handle the seven-year operation and maintenance contract.