The Water Services Corporation (WSC) said Thursday it has issued an EU funded tender for the design, supply, installation, commissioning and hand-over of a new seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant, at the existing Pembroke RO Plant.

The estimated value of the tender is €10.2 million excluding VAT. The new plant will have a nominal production capacity of 11,200 cubic metres of potable water per day, with the potential to reach a maximum capacity of at least 13,000 cubic metres per day, thus, increasing the plant's capacity by 20%. It will be produced from two independent, identical reverse osmosis systems.

The existing SWRO plant and its ancillary equipment will remain fully operational throughout installation, testing and commissioning, ensuring production is not affected during the works. The contract will be carried out under the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) conditions of contract for Plant and Design Build, and the contractor will be responsible for all mechanical and electrical works needed to deliver the plant to its specified capacity.

"This tender adds further capacity to Malta's desalination network and forms part of our National Investment Plan to strengthen the country's water production capacity," said Karl Cilia, CEO of the Water Services Corporation.

The Pembroke tender is part financed with EU funds and forms part of WSC's National Investment Plan, which will see more than €400 million invested in Malta's water infrastructure over the next decade. It follows the recently issued tender for a new reverse osmosis plant at Ghar Lapsi, and is part of a wider programme to increase Malta's freshwater production capacity by approximately 81,000 cubic metres per day. For more information and full tender documentation, interested economic operators can visit www.etenders.gov.mt.