New Seawater Desalination Plant in Lamberts Bay

The Cederberg Municipality has awarded a R17 million contract to the Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies (France) subsidiary, Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies South Africa, to design, build and commission a 1,7 mega litre per day seawater desalination plant in Lamberts Bay. This infrastructure upgrade will help alleviate growing pressure on the region’s water system and improve availability of high-quality water for the region’s nearly 40 000 residents.

“A steady increase in water consumption by the town and surrounding farmers has resulted in an overall drop in groundwater levels,” says Cobus Olivier, Engineering Manager at Veolia in Paarl. “This new plant is part of the Cederberg Municipality’s drive to correct this problem and improve water sustainability.”

A very tight budget requires Veolia to optimise standard plant designs to maintain a high design and build quality. To ensure significant energy savings and reduced CO₂ emissions, the plant will be fitted with a state-of-the-art energy recovery system as part of the plant’s initial capital investment. Specifications also require the plant to accommodate a future upgrade to five mega litres per day.

Due for commissioning in October 2013, the plant will source seawater from boreholes drilled nearby the shore close to Muisbosskerm. “This will provide a relatively clean source of feed water to the pre-treatment phase,” says Olivier.

Pre-treatment will involve passing seawater through a number of dual media pressure filters which remove particles and other material in preparation for treatment by reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. During the RO phase, the salt water will be forced through semi-permeable membranes which retain salts and allow fresh water to permeate.

“Once desalinated, the water will be stabilised with limestone and CO₂, and then be fed into the town’s existing fresh water network,” says Olivier.

Veolia’s manufacturing subsidiary in Spain will supply the plant’s standard compact seawater desalination skids. “The details of the operation and maintenance contract is currently being finalised with the Municipality,” concludes Olivier.

The Lamberts Bay contract falls on the success of six seawater desalination plants installed by Veolia along the Cape coastline since 2009 at Canon Rocks, Bushman’s River Mouth, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Mossel Bay and Saldanha.