Drying Technology
South Africa's eThekwini municipality has issued a request for proposals for a 20-year water recycling concession that could see the first-ever deployment of direct potable reuse (DPR) in the country.
The 47,500m³/d Durban Water Recycling Plant was delivered on a 20-year BOT basis by a Veolia-led consortium in 1999. It provides water to industrial offtakers Mondi (papermill) and Sapref (refinery).
The new concessionaire will take control of the plant and will be responsible for supplying existing as well as new customers (with Engen and Toyota already lined up).
The scope of the new concession tender also includes the option of a 20,000m3/d DPR unit, which would sell water to the municipality. If the option is taken up by the municipality, it will be South Africa’s first DPR.
Bids for the contract will have to come in under maximum tariff levels of ZAR12.50/m3 ($0.85) for the industrial offtakers and ZAR18.50/m3 ($1.27) for potable water.
