French environmental services provider Suez was selected by Delhi Jal Board to build and operate a wastewater treatment plant in New Delhi, India.
Delhi Jal Board is the authority in charge of water management of India’s capital city. The wastewater treatment plant will have a capacity to treat 564,000m³/day and will be located in Okhla, south of New Delhi. The contract value is €145m (£130m).
Under the terms of the contract, Suez will be required to complete the design and construction of the plant in three-and-a-half years, followed by an 11-year operation and maintenance of the facility. The new plant will replace the old Okhla wastewater treatment plant. Once complete, the new plant will be the largest of its kind in India, Suez claimed.
The contract is part of the Yamuna Action Plan III (YAP-III), which aims to restore water quality of the heavily polluted Yamuna river, the main water resource for the capital. The project is funded 81% by the Government of India and the remaining 19% by the Delhi government.
For the project, Suez will deploy the latest wastewater treatment technologies to restore optimum water quality to the Yamuna river, requiring a total nitrogen content of less than 10 mg/l, in compliance with latest national standards.
The French company said that its Digelis Duo2 and Drainis Turbo technologies can significantly reduce the volume of sewage sludge and help convert them into fertilizer for local agriculture and energy generation. Electricity generated from sludge recovery is expected to cover about half of the plant’s needs.
Suez Group International senior executive vice president Ana Giros Calpe said: “For more than 30 years, SUEZ has been supporting large municipalities such as New Delhi, Bangalore and Calcutta, in the development of innovative solutions to preserve water resources, a growing challenge in a country facing rapid population growth and urbanization.
“We are proud of the renewed trust of the Delhi Jal Board, enabling us to build and operate this plant, that will be the largest wastewater treatment plant in India.
“This project allows us to combine technical expertise and customer orientation. It is a concrete example of our shared commitment, with the Delhi Jal Board, to provide quality drinking water and wastewater services to the inhabitants, and to preserve the environment.”