The English water company South West Water has announced its plan to build a state-of- the-art treatment plant with PWN Technologies. The installation based on SIX® and CeraMac® will be operational around 2018. Mr. Christopher Loughlin, CEO of South West Water, recently presented this plan to the mayor and councillors of the City of Plymouth at the traditional Fishing Feast in Plymouth.
The demoplant, with a capacity of 150,000 litres a day, is based on suspended ion exchange (SIX®) and ceramic microfiltration technology (CeraMac®®). It is the first time that this technology of PWN Technologies has been used in the UK. Over the next 18 months, a dedicated team will be testing the process with a variety of raw water sources. This will enable PWN Technologies and South West Water to fine-tune the process and help in creating the design of the new treatment works.
The SIX®/CeraMac® installation is planned in Roborough, north of Plymouth. The current plant in Crownhill is nearly sixty year old and needs to be replaced. The overall investment in the new works is expected to be in the region of £50 million. When the new works is operational, planned for 2018, Crownhill will be closed down. The move from the current site will release a 40-acre site in the heart of Plymouth with potential for development. This could be a catalyst for the regeneration of this area of the city.
Chris Rockey, South West Water’s Science and Water Quality Manager, said: “South West Water’s aim is to continue to provide good, safe drinking water that has the trust of our customers, while minimising the cost of water treatment and our impact on the environment.
“The processes required to produce high-quality drinking water have traditionally been both energy and chemical-intensive and produce a lot of waste. Advances in drinking water technology and new approaches to the management of raw water supplies are beginning to offer more cost-effective and sustainable alternatives to how drinking water is produced.”
Jonathan Clement, CEO of PWN Technologies: “We have always been convinced of the advantages of our SIX® and CeraMac® technology. We are very pleased that South West Water has recognized these advantages of our technology in a very early stage of the demoproject. We will have to live up to the expectations, but I am sure we will. The results of our CeraMac® demoplant in Singapore has already proved its potential. It exceed all expectations, and I am confident this will happen again.”