China: Peninsula Water Treatment Ltd. (PWTL) ordered ultrafiltration membrane technology from its overseas partner X-Flow B. V. of Enschede, The Netherlands. The S-225 UF membrane elements will be used in water treatment systems for the production for process water in several Chinese power plants. X-Flow's XIGA™ ultrafiltration technology is used by PWTL as replacement for conventional pre-treatment processes for RO installations.
X-Flow and PWTL, established in Hong Kong, started their cooperation in 2000 and since then PWTL has been one of the drivers in the introduction of UF membrane technology to the Chinese water market. X-Flow is part of NORIT N.V., based in The Netherlands.
India: The Andhra Pradesh Government plans to complete phase I of the Rs 10000-million Krishna drinking water project by March 2004. The project will transport water from the Krishna river system and pump it into the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad for drinking water consumption.
The project is expected to tap 16.5 TMC (thousand million cubic) feet of raw water from the Krishna River to add about 90 TMC feet to the urban drinking water system, and improve the overall demand-supply situation for the twin cities during next summer.
Stage I of the three-stage project will initially evacuate 45 million gallons a day of treated water and cost an estimated Rs 8750 million. About 60% of this stage has been completed.
Stage II of the project, which will add another 45 mgd of treated water, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2005. An independent intake tower would be constructed during Stage II in the foreshore of the Nagarjunasagar dam at Shunkishala and raw water would be pumped to the water treatment plant at Kondapur.
Philippines: Independent power producer Luzon Hydro Corp. entered into an agreement with the local provincial government of Benguet, Philippines to undertake a US$ 20-million project for diverting more water to its 70-MW power plant in Ilocos Sur province.
Luzon Hydro, a joint venture between the Aboitiz group and Pacific Hydro Corp. of Australia, wants to find ways in which more water can be tapped for the plant's use during the dry season. Erramon Aboitiz, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, said the project would tap water sources in Benguet through a combination of tunnels and conveyance lines (exposed pipes). Construction will begin in March 2004 and finish in 14 months.
Aboitiz said that a supplementary water project would allow the company to run the 70-megawatt power plant more efficiently. He said that at current capacity to collect water, the facility could run at only about 40 percent of generating capacity during lean months. Aboitiz expressed hope that, with additional water, Luzon Hydro might be able to operate the facility at full capacity all year round.
Luzon Hydro's planned water-collecting projects were much like those done for the Casecnan irrigation and power project, but at a smaller scale, he explained.
