Consolidated Water wins Cayman Islands desalination contracts

Cayman Islands government water utility Water Authority-Cayman (WAC) has awarded contracts to Consolidated Water to refurbish the Lower Valley desalination plant and operate the North Sound desalination plant.

As part of the first contract awarded after a competitive tender process, Consolidated Water will refurbish the 800,000gal/day Lower Valley desalination plant. The scope of the work includes complete replacement of the high pressure pumps, membrane racks, energy recovery systems, controls systems, and associated electrical power systems.

WAC will destroy the Lower Valley Plant equipment to be replaced under the contract, and prepare the existing plant building for installation of the new equipment. Upon commissioning of the refurbished plant, Consolidated Water will operate the plant for three months and comply with certain performance criteria before transferring the plant to WAC.

The company will also continue to operate the WAC’s 1.6 million gallons a day North Sound seawater desalination plant under a 12-month extension contract. Constructed and commissioned by Consolidated Water in 2002, the North Sound plant expanded its production capacity in 2007 from 800,000gal/day, and has satisfactorily operated the plant under contract since commissioning.

The operations contract was originally scheduled to expire on April 1. The WAC has extended the contract to allow sufficient time to arrange the public tender process for a new operations contract for the plant.