Abengoa begins construction of first desalination plant in Ghana

Spain-based technology solutions provider for energy and environment sectors, Abengoa, has begun construction on the first desalination plant in Ghana.

Ghana has undertaken the project to provide clean, drinkable water to over 500,000 residents living in the towns of Teshie, Nungua and Tema.

The Nungua desalination plant, to be constructed for a cost of $125m, will use reverse osmosis technology and have a capacity to produce 60,000m³ per day.

Under the terms of the contract, Abengoa will design and construct the desal facility and will be responsible for its maintenance and operations for a period of 25 years, during which revenue generation from water sales is expected to be over $1.3m.

Construction work of the Nungua desal plant is expected to take about 24 months and create about 400 direct and indirect jobs.

Accra, the capital of Nungua, has about three million inhabitants and is currently finding it hard to meet the increased demand for water from its remote towns and villages.

In the country, only 50% of the required 800,000m³ per day of water is being provided and the Ghanian authorities are emphasising water supply projects to meet the growing demand of potable water.

With this project, Abengoa’s installed water desalination capacity is expected to reach 1.2 million cubic metres per day.

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Image: Abengoa headquarters in Seville, Spain. Photo: Abengoa.