NIBONG TEBAL: A RM3.81mil pilot desalination plant on Pulau Aman is taking shape, with 26.61% of the works done.
Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) chief executive officer Datuk K. Pathmanathan said the project is due for completion on June 15 next year to serve 94 consumer accounts, or about 200 people, on the island.
The plant will have a treatment capacity of 0.24 million litres per day using reverse osmosis (RO) technology.
Desalination plants using RO typically draw seawater through intake screens, remove suspended particles with pre-treatment filters, then force the water through semi-permeable membranes under high pressure.
These membranes block salt and most dissolved minerals, producing fresh water, while generating a brine stream that is far more concentrated than seawater as leftover.
Operators usually manage this brine through controlled outfalls or mixing systems to prevent localised harm to marine habitats.
The island’s earlier desalination plant was completed in 2019, but failed to meet safety limits for boron and total dissolved solids.
PBAPP later put in new engineering plans, and construction restarted on June 16 this year.
Pathmanathan said the aim is to build and run a fully functional plant to produce quality treated water, and to train PBAPP personnel in the desalination operation.
He said desalination can supplement Penang’s water security, but the operation cost is high.
“It’s about 10 times higher than conventional treatment, but PBAPP will absorb it. Pulau Aman residents will continue paying the normal tariff,” he said.
