Degremont, S.A. (Degremont), a subsidiary of Suez Environnement S.A., has signed a contract with the Maltese Ministry of Finance, for the design and construction of the most important wastewater purification plant on the main island. The total value of the contract amounts to EUR57 million, of which EUR34.5 million will be paid to Degremont, along with an additional EUR0.5 million for operational support over one year.

In constructing many treatment plants in countries bordering on the Mediterranean, Degremont is helping to reduce the pollution in that sea, while addressing the very heart of the problems announced by the Union for the Mediterranean.

This contract, signed by the consortium formed and led by Degremont and including two Italian civil engineering companies (CCC and CMR), undertakes the design, construction and one year of operational support for a treatment plant that, with a capacity of 500,000 population equivalents, will process 80% of Malta’s waste water, including the quantity generated by the summer tourist population.

The rest of the contract’s value (EUR22 million) will go to the civil engineering companies. The future facility will be ready in 18 months for treatment of initial water and three months later for the processing of sludge.

Degremont has become involved with the Union for the Mediterranean, for which pollution control is one of its strong principals, by constructing many facilities that contribute to this objective:

Degremont Italy opened a wastewater treatment unit last year to serve Gozo, Malta’s second island.

In Lebanon, Degremont is currently completing a purification plant for Tripoli’s 1 million inhabitants in the north of the country.

In Egypt, Degremont has recently won the contract for the design and construction of a plant in East Alexandria.

An innovative facility

In responding to the constraints imposed by its client under this new contract, one of Degremont’s challenges involved providing a large-capacity plant within a confined space (4 hectares) while preserving a fragile environment, all within an extremely short period of construction (21 months).

To develop a treatment process within such a small area while complying with European standards, Degremont implemented two of its flagship techniques: Densadeg 4D for flocculation/sedimentation and Biofor for biological processing. Densadeg 4D permits a flow speed of 30m3/h through a series of stations for grit removal, grease removal, flocculation, rapid primary sedimentation and densification of the sludge produced. At the same time, Biofor enables concurrent filtration and biological processing to occur at these stations. The surface area required for treatment is consequently reduced, as multiple processes occur in the same basin.

Energy production covering 30% of needs

The sludge treatment process consists of digestion and dewatering. Sludge digestion produces biogas, which is usable by the gas engines on site. This co-generation will produce 30% of the plant’s energy requirements.

An integrated environmental concept

As an offshoot of the contract, Degremont is implementing an architectural and landscaping scheme involving, in particular, the planting of over 6,000 trees and native plants (olive trees, bougainvilleas, laurels, roses…) with a view to integrating the facility with its environment. Finally, a biological deodorization process is envisaged in order to limit any risk of olfactory nuisance for people in the surrounding area.

Degremont is a France-based company engaged in design, build and commission water treatment plant.