AROUND 80 million liters of water per day will be added to the current water production of the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) once desalination plants in Metro Cebu will be completed in 2022.
MCWD aims to close the gap between the demand and supply of water among consumers in the coming years.
MCWD chairman of the board Jose Daluz III said the MCWD currently produces 225 million liters of water daily.
Daluz said MCWD needs to supply around 340 million liters more to meet consumer demand.
He said MCWD plans to augment supply each year until consumer demand is met.
“Slowly we will achieve this. At least every year we have a new source of water, additional supply of water,” he said.
He said the partnership with FDC Water Utilities Inc. is only the start.
MCWD granted FDC Water Utilities Inc., a subsidiary of Filinvest Development Corp. Utilities Inc. (FDCUI), a notice of award on Friday, July 9, 2021, for its unsolicited proposal to put up desalination plants in the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay.
Daluz said after the conferment of the notice of award to FDC, MCWD will submit requirements to the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) for its recommendation and review if all the processes are compliant with National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) guidelines.
Once the OGCC gives its review, which is expected to be issued in two weeks, MCWD can award the notice to proceed to FDC after which the firm can proceed with the construction of the plants, which are targeted to be completed in 2022.
Daluz said distributing desalinated water does not necessarily mean the water rate will increase immediately, adding that the rate increase won’t be implemented until 2024 and it will be divided in three tranches.
Aside from that, the increase will not be more than 40 percent from the current water rate, which is P152 per 10 cubic meters, excluding tax and other charges.
Since the desalinated water will be blended with the current water supply, the increase will not be that much, he said.
FDC has assured that the 80 million liters of water produced through desalination will be high-quality potable water.
The desalination facilities will process seawater using the High Recovery Seawater Desalination Technology of FDC’s technical partner, Hitachi Ltd. Japan.
FDCUI chief executive officer and president Juan Eugenio Roxas said this is one of the most essential investments of FDC since it can help MCWD and its consumers to have a sustainable and reliable water supply.
“The Filinvest Group’s entry into the sustainable water space is anchored on the company’s commitment to bring further significant socio-economic impact in the communities where it conducts its business,” Roxas said.
“Our collaboration with MCWD promotes long-term solutions to the water requirements of Metro Cebu,” he said. (JJL with PR)