SNC-Lavalin wins contract for desalination plant in Algeria

SNC-Lavalin has signed a contract to design, procure and build a large seawater desalination plant in Tipaza, Algeria. The Montreal company is doing the $145-million project in consortium with Acciona Agua. SNC-Lavalin also signed an agreement to operate and maintain the 120,000-cu. m/day plant for 25 years.
The consortium’s design, build, own, operate and transfer (DBOOT) contract is with Myah Tipaza, an entity 51% owned by an investment company, which is in turn partly owned by SNC-Lavalin and Acciona Aqua.
Acciona Agua specializes in desalination plants that use reverse osmosis.
The plant is under construction west of Algiers and is expected to be complete in 24 months. The Algerian government will purchase the water produced.
The project said the plant “is part of the Algerian Government’s program to provide the city of Algiers and its outlying areas with a secure, long-term portable water supply.”
Credit Populaire d’Algerie will underwrite 80% of the project’s value.