High-pressure pumps and energy-recovery technology are to be provided for the 18,500 m³/d expansion to the Blue Hills seawater reverse-osmosis desalination plant in the Bahamas by Energy Recovery Inc (ERI).
California-based ERI was selected by Consolidated Water Co (CWCO) to provided PX™ Pressure Exchanger devices and AquaBold™ pumps for the Bahamas Water & Sewerage Corporation (BWSC) plant on the island of New Providence.
CWCO came to an agreement with BWSC in February 2011 to increase the daily production capacity of the Blue Hill plant, which it built in 2006 and has run since that time, by approximately 67% to 12 MGD (45,400 m³/d). The original plant had Calder DWEER energy-recovery devices installed.
The term of CWCO’s original 20-year design, build, own, operate contract was also extended by approximately 5 years (to 2031). Consolidated Water has agreed to finance the design and construction of the new plant and will operate and maintain the expanded facility during the term of the extended agreement.
“Much of the overall cost of desalination can be attributed to energy consumption, which is why CWCO is partnering with ERI to conserve as much energy as possible, ensuring that clean, safe drinking water is within reach for every resident on the island,” stated Ramjeet Jerrybandan, vice president of overseas Operations, CWCO. “CWCO selected ERI’s PX devices because in our experience, they reliably reduce energy consumption, costs and the environmental impact generated by desalination without the need for regular maintenance or a large stock of spare parts.”