A proposed 400,000 m3/d desalination plant in Chennai, India, has been recommended for Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance by the national Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The Expert Appraisal Committee of the ministry supported the project on the basis of a report from a site visit, which proposes moving the facility further inland to 6.5 metres above the level affected by a tsunami in 2004.
The project is in development by Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, and in April 2018 received a loan worth JPY 30 billion ($283 million) from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). An invitation for consulting services, including detailed design work, and an initial procurement package for international competitive bidding on project construction, will be issued in August 2018.
The plant is to be located 600 metres from a 150,000 m3/d desalination plant at Nemmeli, Chennai, for which bids were submitted in Q4 2017.