Denmark: Sar-Alam Indah Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Weida (M) Bhd, signed a US$ 4m contract with the Danish waste management firm Niras Consulting Engineers & Planners A/s to integrate a sludge digester or biogas plant facilities into the Matang septic sludge treatment plant in Kuching. Sar-Alam Indah manages the US$ 4.42m Matang septic sludge treatment plant that is owned by state-owned Sarawak Inc. Sdn Bhd. The plant treats sludge from some 65,000 septic tanks.
The state government made it mandatory on 1 January 2003 for all septic tanks to be desludged in order to prevent the discharge of sludge into the Sarawak River, which provides the city's drinking water. The biogas plant, the first in Sarawak, will improve the treatment of septic sludge and treat new wastes, such as oil and grease from restaurants, organic waste from abattoirs and food processing factories in addition to livestock manure.
England: The international law firm Masons formed an alliance with the Spanish law firm Buxeda Menchén to strengthen the London-based firm's ability to advise clients on energy and infrastructure projects in Spain, Latin America, the Philippines and Equatorial Guinea. The alliance, known as Masons Buxeda Menchén, is expected to eventually become a fully integrated merger.
Hungary: The Hungarian Oil & Gas Company (MOL) awarded a contract with the US company Earth Tech to expand, upgrade and manage the wastewater treatment facilities at the Duna refinery in Szazhamombatta, near Budapest. The project's construction costs are US$ 35 million and Earth Tech will manage all wastewater assets and services for 15 years. Earth Tech is based in Long Beach, California, USA.
Earth Tech will install new dissolved air flotation system, CASS™ biological treatment tanks, sludge handling and dewatering equipment and other associated equipment. In addition, it will upgrade the oily sludge/solid waste rotary kiln incinerator and modify the refinery sewer system to segregate and reduce wastewaters entering the wastewater treatment plant.
Iran: Iranian President Seyed Mohammad Khatami inaugurated a water supply project in Zahedan, capital of Sistan and Baluchestan province, that will transfer drinking water from Zabol to Zahedan. Managing director of the project Siamak Shirzad said the 600 billion rial project (US$ 74 million) comprises four major pumping stations and its eight reservoirs have a capacity of 81,000 m3 of water.
Turkey: The Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (ISKI) ordered a large ozone system for the Kagithane potable water treatment plant in Istanbul from the German company Wedeco Umwelt-technologie GmbH, based in Düsseldorf. The 2.25 million Euro order includes the turnkey installation, commissioning and start-up of four ozone lines for the potable water treatment plant. Each line has a maximum capacity of 4 x 12.5 kg ozone per hour. The Kagithane ozone system is one of four major ozone plants in Istanbul supplied by Wedeco.
