Chennai's Rs 4,400 cr water desalination deal given to Wabag group

It is South East Asia's largest such order for treating water meant for public use

Chennai has awarded South East Asia’s largest water desalination project of Rs 4,400 crore to VA Tech Wabag, an Indian multinational group based in the Tamil Nadu capital.

The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board’s (CMWSSB) deal is for design, build, operate (DBO) for a 400 million litres per day (MLD) sea water reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is funding the project to improve water security in Chennai.

The plant will use filtration and osmosis processes to produce clean drinking water which CMWSSB will distribute to South Chennai residents.

The project will also make Chennai the desalination capital of India, with almost 750 MLD of desalinated water to be produced along the city’s coast, said Wabag in a statement.

“We have received a LoA (letter of authorization) from the authorities on Thursday and we expect it (the plant) to be commissioned in three years time. In the municipal sector, Mumbai and Visakhapatnam are having plans to come up with such major units. In the industry sector too, a lot of companies in the green hydrogen sector are coming up with enquiries,” said Rajneesh Chopra, global head - Business Development, Wabag.

The project will be executed under the leadership of Wabag in joint venture with Metito Overseas. The city’s order includes the scope of design, engineering, procurement, construction, installation, testing and commissioning of the 400 MLD SWRO desalination plant and the associated sea water intake system over a period of 42 months followed by 20 years of operation and maintenance.

“This is historically the largest ever order for Wabag. I am extremely happy that we have been awarded this massive, prestigious and important Desalination plant order in Chennai from our trusted customer CMWSSB with whom our association spans over two decades now,” Shailesh Kumar, chief executive officer of India Cluster, Wabag.

“Wabag has won this order against global competition reinforcing our technological superiority and competitiveness in the global desalination space. The project, when completed, will not only be a landmark project for Wabag, but a testament to Tamil Nadu’s commitment to building water security for Chennai and the State, making it a model for the whole country,” said Kumar.