Vivant begins partial ops of PH’s first utility-scale seawater desalination plant

Vivant Water on Thursday announced the start of partial operations at its utility-scale seawater desalination plant in Cordova, Cebu—the Philippines’ first, it said.

In a news release, Vivant Water, a unit of Vivant Corp., announced the plant’s first skid—signaling the beginning of the seawater desalination plant’s partial operations to generate an initial five million liters of clean and potable water daily to about 5,000 households within Metro Cebu. 

“Vivant Water is extremely proud of this accomplishment and we are happy to offer an alternative solution to the water security issue in Cebu province, and ultimately the entire Philippines,”  said Vivant Water president Jess Garcia. 

“The traditional sources of water in the Philippines are groundwater and surface water, seawater desalination can be the third source of water, and we are proud to be the pioneers,” he added.

Vivant Water said the desalination plant can generate 20 million liters a day of potable water in its first phase, which can supply 20,000 households.

It said the plant can be expanded to 50 million liters a day.

The desalination plant was awarded a 25-year contract to supply desalinated water to the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD). 

The plant utilizes seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) technology.

Reverse osmosis is a technology that removes salt from seawater to produce drinking water. 

The company said the plant aims to address the gap between water demand and supply while allowing severely extracted groundwater aquifers to replenish naturally. — Ted Cordero/BM, GMA Integrated News