Basseterre, St. Kitts (Public Infrastructure News)—The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis received a generous donation of two Solar-Powered Water Desalination Plants from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These plants are part of the UAE’s Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund (CREF) and will produce fresh, potable drinking water for the island’s residents. The UAE has allocated one plant for St. Kitts and the other for Nevis.
Each plant can produce 12 cubic metres of fresh potable drinking water per hour. If the plant runs for 24 hours, it can produce up to 76,000 gallons of water daily. The electricity needed to power the desalination plant will be generated on-site from solar photovoltaic (PV) panels during the day, while the SKELEC’s grid will power the plant at night.
The Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC—Masdar of Abu Dhabi, UAE, has been appointed as the Project Manager/Implementing Agency. Omosun of France and its main local subcontractor, Kelly Construction, have been selected as the successful contractors for the project. The budget for each plant is approximately US1.1 million.
The plant should be substantially completed by June 2024. It is being constructed on 4 acres of land at Canada Estate and will utilize less than 1 acre. This site has been identified for future expansion of desalination to meet the growth in water demand as St. Kitts continues to develop. Connecting pipelines and the electrical connection to the electricity grid are being supplied by the government.
Trans-Global Engineering (TGE) Ltd, a local company, undertook the necessary environmental impact assessment (EIA) study, which the Development Control and Planning Board (DCPB) approved.
According to the Water Services Department, raw seawater will be collected via two beach wells and pumped to the Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant via a 4-inch water line. The rejected brine (super concentrated salt water) will be pumped out to sea via a 4-inch line with a diffuser at the end. The fresh water will be pumped via a 4-inch line to the existing water network to supply either Keys Village or Canada Industrial Site or Conaree.
There are over 300 residents in Keys Village, and they consume about 30,000 gallons per day. With a capacity of 76,000 gallons per day, the plant will provide enough water to supply Keys and the surrounding areas.
A 3-month timeline has been agreed upon for the UAE to train Water Services Department staff to operate and maintain the plant.
The official groundbreaking ceremony occurred at Canada Estate on March 18, 2024. During the ceremony, Minister of Public Infrastructure, Energy, Utilities, and Domestic Transport, Hon. Konris Maynard, expressed gratitude for the support he received for the project.
