GE Water & Process Technologies has secured a contract from Water and Sewarage Corporation Bahamas, to build a seawater reverse osmosis-based desalination plant in the Caribbean Island of Eleuthera.

Under a 15-year outsourcing service agreement, GE will build, own and operate (BOO) the plant, which is expected to convert around 600,000 imperial gallons of seawater into drinking water per day.  

When completed, the new facility will be GE’s fourth BOO desalination plant on the island, located 80km east of Nassau in the Bahamas.

Commercial operations of the plant are expected to start in the first quarter of 2018. The plant will come up in the North Eleuthera and will serve around 7,500 local residents.

GE Water & Process Technologies engineered systems global leader Kevin Cassidy said: “GE's build, own, operate water treatment solutions provide fresh, potable water with little to no capital expenditure for our customers. We handle the entire process from equipment installation to startup to operations as well as maintenance, repair and troubleshooting.

“GE's outsourcing capabilities are ideal for islands that need seawater desalination for freshwater, and we have worked extensively with Water and Sewerage Corporation Bahamas on many projects to successfully bring clean water to Eleuthera.”

Water and Sewerage Corporation Bahamas Family Islands assistant general manager Cyprian Gibson said: “We are committed to providing a reliable, accessible, affordable and safe water supply to all Bahamians. This latest seawater desalination plant in Eleuthera, the fourth by GE on the island, will bring much needed freshwater to our residents.”

Recently, GE secured a 15 year service contract for water treatment and monitoring at Bashneft, an affiliated company of Rosneft, a Russian state-owned oil company.

With the contract, GE Water & Process Technologies will take over the maintenance responsibilities of the ZeeWeed membrane bioreactors (MBR), electrodialysis reversal and reverse osmosis equipment at the facility, while extending equipment guarantees for the full life of the contract.

Image: GE to build, own and operate desalination facility in the Caribbean Island of Eleuthera. Photo: Courtesy of General Electric.