Technology and engineering firm ABB is to equip the world’s largest reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant with electrical equipment after it received a $28 million order from environmental solutions company Hyflux.
Under a turnkey contract, ABB will supply, install and commission a substation as well as other equipment at the Magtaa desalination plant in Algeria. The 500 000 m3/day facility will provide drinking water for around 5 million people and is part of the Algerian government’s efforts to meet the demands of a growing population.
As part of the contract, ABB will set up a 220 kV outdoor substation to provide power to the facility and also supply products such as power transformers, medium voltage drives and a range of medium and low voltage switchgear. ABB will be responsible for the design, engineering, supply, installation and commissioning of the electrical plant system.
The project is scheduled for completion by 2011.
“Besides powering the water treatment facility, ABB technologies will help to enhance plant performance by addressing critical operational needs such as minimizing down time and optimizing energy consumption to improve efficiency,” said Franz-Josef Mengede, head of ABB’s global Power Generation business in the Power Systems division.
“Energy and operational efficiencies are critical factors in the way we design, operate and maintain our plants. Hyflux will be working closely with ABB, to optimize the energy usage of our Magtaa facility and to ensure that the plant delivers optimal performance,” said Sam Ong, Deputy CEO and CFO, Hyflux Group.
