Septech, the region’s water infrastructure expert, has won a contract from Oman's Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW), to install the world’s largest mobile desalination plant just outside of Muscat.

Installation of the 24 Septech mobile water desalination units has started in Oman. Once operational, the units will supply 22.7 million litres of water to the residents of Muscat every day.

The structure of the plant, a series of innovative pre-engineered and manufactured Sea Water Reverse Osmosis containers, allows for rapid deployment. The plant will be supplying nearly 10 per cent of the daily potable water needs of 1 million residents in the Omani capital.

“A mobile water project on this scale has never been undertaken by any engineering company in the world. In months, not years, this project that will have an enormous impact on the water supply of Muscat,” said David Heffernan, CEO of Septech.

“The plant must supply an enormous amount of potable water every day, and it must start doing so quickly, but Oman also has some of the most stringent drinking water standards in the world, so the water produced must be in line with globally recognised drinking water standards.”

Septech has chosen General Electric Water and Process Technologies to supply the mobile water assets required to service the plant.

“The really unique thing about this system is that it can be reconfigured for use in a variety of ways after it has served its purpose in Muscat,” said Heffernan.

“In the currently planned format, we’ll be using 24 systems to convert 60 million litres of sea water into 22.7 million litres of drinking water. But once the city of Muscat’s growing needs are met by the expansion of the permanent facility, these units could be split up to supply the water needs of several remote communities with smaller populations.”-TradeArabia News Service