Fluence signs €165m contract for water treatment plant in Ivory Coast

Water treatment solutions provider Fluence has signed a €165m commercial agreement with the Federal Government of Ivory Coast for the turnkey supply of a 150,000 m3/day surface-water treatment plant.

The new water treatment plant will provide potable water to Abidjan, which is reported to be the country’s largest city.

As per the terms of the agreement, Fluence will be responsible for water intake, water treatment, bulk water piping, water towers and infrastructure.

The new water treatment plant will be equipped with technologies for smart intake, various separation and membrane systems, advanced oxidation, biological filtration and sludge treatment.

The plant will treat water from Lagune Aghien, Ivory Coast’s freshwater reserve near Abidjan, which is reported to be dense with algae and other contaminants, to help meet the freshwater needs of the region.

The contract is conditional upon the arrangement of export credit financing, which Fluence is in the process of finalizing.

The advanced multiple barrier design is an environmentally sound water treatment process that allows the flexibility to optimise operating costs in various feed qualities.

Fluence managing director and CEO Henry Charrabé said: “This substantial contract award is a testament to Fluence’s reputation as a global leader in water treatment technology able to deliver optimal end-to-end custom engineered solutions.

“It will further enhance our reputation among governments and utility providers around the world as a company that can optimally solve water, wastewater and reuse treatment challenges.

“While we see tremendous opportunity in supplying our Smart Products Solutions for decentralised water and wastewater challenges around the world, this project shows our ongoing expertise and proven capability to solve a wide range of technical water treatment problems in many regions.”

The contract is expected to support the company with up to $20m revenue in 2019, $80m in 2020, with the remainder in 2021, subject to financial close and project commencement.

Additionally, Fluence is said to be carrying out advanced discussions for arranging third-party financing for the Government of Ivory Coast through a loan from Israel Discount Bank.