The Water Services Corporation has issued a call for tender for the construction of a 9 km long tunnel to improve the overall water quality of the Maltese Islands and drastically improve operational efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Another tender forming part of the Water Services Corporation ‘Net Zero Impact Utility’ project has been published.

The tender covers the drilling, construction, pipelaying and completion of a 9 km long 3m wide tunnel between Ta’ Qali Reservoirs and the Pembroke RO Plant. The project is phased in three separate lots which will be implemented simultaneously, the corporation said in a statement.

CEO Richard Bilocca explained that “This challenging project will revolutionise the way potable water is distributed and blended, resulting in improved quality across the Maltese Islands. The system will also reduce operational costs and increase security of supply since most areas will be virtually fed without the use of pumps resulting in better energy performance and continuity of supply even during power failures.

Upon completion, the system shall be capable of transferring 52,000m3/day of desalinated water from Pembroke directly to Ta` Qali Group of Reservoirs through a 1.2m diameter pipeline where it shall then be blended with groundwater. An intelligent control system shall monitor the blended water and control the dosing quantities at Pembroke RO to ensure the optimum dosing quantities and thereby reducing the use of chemicals optimising the quality of potable water.

From the Ta’ Qali group of reservoirs, the water will be fed through a new gravity system that will feed the east areas of Malta from Sliema areas down to Valletta. Another transfer line shall feed the Misrah Lewza Reservoirs in San Gwann via a separate pipeline from Ta` Qali.

The call for offers for these works closes in the coming weeks and documents are available on http://www.wsc.com.mt/tenders/

This project will be led by the Water Services Corporation and may be co-financed through Cohesion funds.