Contract Won for the Extension of Panama City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant

The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Panama (MINSA) selected SUEZ for a contract of about 195 million euro1 to build the extension of the wastewater treatment plant “Juan Diaz” and operate it. SUEZ has built in 2009 the first phase of the plant that treats the wastewater of the capital and has been operating it since 2011. The new contract will double the capacity of the plant to reach 475,000 m3/day. Following a three-year construction phase starting in May 2017, SUEZ will operate the plant for eight years. 

This extension project is part of the program "Sanitation of the City and the Bay of Panama", initiated in 2001 by the Ministry of Health, whose aim is to protect the natural environments while meeting the needs of an urban population that increase by 2% each year. 

At the end of the works, the plant will treat the wastewater of 2 million Equivalents-Inhabitants and will be equipped with a water treatment line and a sludge treatment line (anaerobic digestion and dehydration). The treated water will thus be discharged into the Bay of Panama in full compliance with the national standards. 

The energy self-sufficiency of the plant will be improved thanks to SUEZ’s innovative technologies (Clarificators SLG, DigelisTM Simplex, DigelisTM Turbo and DrainisTM Turbo) that will recover sewage sludge into biogas, a renewable energy, used for the production of electricity. 

"We are proud to support the City of Panama in the development of a responsible water policy. The Group’s expertise and know-how in water treatment will contribute to the preservation of resources and the region’s attractiveness.” explained Ana Giros, CEO of SUEZ’s Latin America Business Unit. 

SUEZ is present in Panama since 2009 where it has been in charge of the operation and maintenance of the wastewater collection system of the capital. In 2016, SUEZ won a contract with the city of David, in the Western part of the country, for the building of a new sanitation network. With this new contract, SUEZ strengthens its presence in Central America and the Caribbean, where it already provides 1.2 million people with water and sanitation services.