A 50 Ml/d desalination project proposed by Indian steel producer, Rashtriya Ispat Nigam, (RIN) has drawn bids to build the plant from 30 Indian and international players according to RIN.
The steel firm has sought interest in the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) project at its Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, where it is more than doubling production to 6.3 million tonnes a year in a Rs.12,500 crore (US$ 2 billion) expansion.
The company has struggled with water supply problems. According to a RIN official: “Due to poor supply of water, some of the critical operations were throttled and production got affected.”
RIN currently runs its existing plant on a water supply of about 125 ML/d taken under licence from the Yeleru Reservoir. It has recently told the government that it needed immediately 175 Ml/d for safe operations and once it has completed its expansion its water demand would be 225 Ml/d.
The proposed desalination facility would be the first desalination plant being set up by an industry in Andhra Pradesh state.