In Ghana, the Spanish company Abengoa SA has installed the first water desalination plant in West Africa. The infrastructure, inaugurated by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama this weekend, will have a daily production capacity of 60,000 m3.
“This project proves the government’s commitment to improve the daily living standards of our citizens,” said the officer. The infrastructure that will serve mainly residents of Accra will be transferred to the Ghana Water Co (GWC) after 25 years, under the terms of the agreement between Abengoa to the Ghanaian government.
Manuel Sanchez Ortega, vice chairman and CEO of Abengoa, has said: “We are honored to be able to work with Ghana towards sustainability and economic development. This project is the perfect example of Abengoa’s commitment to help fight against water scarcity in those places faced with shortage issues. I am confident that this plant will inspire other countries in the region thanks to its unique development model and advanced technology”.
The plant, which has already been treating water for the last two months, is able to supply 60,000 m3/d of fresh water, sufficient for 500,000 residents within the vicinity of Accra and the surrounding areas. Abengoa Water was the Global Award Winner for Desalination Company of the year 2013 thanks to projects such as this.
The desalinated water is being sold to Ghana Water Company Limited under a 25-year build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) model for distribution to households and businesses. The GWC has also announced that the World Bank has invested $ 4.1 million in a project to renovate its distribution network.
The project is expected to create some 400 direct and indirect jobs with revenue forecast of about USD 1.300m over the 25 years period.
Note that Abengoa (MCE: ABG) is an international company that applies innovative technology solutions for sustainable development in the energy and environmental sectors, generating electricity from the sun, producing biofuels, desalinating sea water and recycling industrial waste.