Sidem inaugurates its new production unit

On Saturday September 14, Sidem took delivery of its new production unit. On Tuesday February 4, it was officially inaugurated on the site of the Public drinking water production plant. "This infrastructure aims to strengthen our territory's water production capacity and improve resource management," wrote the Collectivité territoriale's communications department in an online publication, adding: "It testifies to a commitment to securing the water supply, an essential issue for our island."
In fact, the new production unit has been up and running since January 13. Its commissioning marks an important milestone for Sidem and all consumers who use city water on Saint-Barthélemy. The new-generation reverse osmosis Barrel (an industrial desalination process) has a production capacity of between 3,000 and 4,700 cubic meters per day. This will be added to the Public plant's current maximum capacity of 4,200 cubic meters per day. As a result, Sidem will soon be able to double its production of drinking water. Soon? Yes, because for the time being, the plant's other unit has been "idled" for overhaul.
The Barrel, manufactured by Sidem in Oman, United Arab Emirates, consumes 0.05 kWh less per cubic metre produced than its conventional version. This "new generation" Barrel is a pressurized tank combining several reverse osmosis (RO) or nanofiltration (NF) elements, designed as a ready-to-operate system. It guarantees the production of fresh water that complies with all quality standards for desalinated water. It is also suitable for wastewater reuse and low-pressure reverse osmosis applications.
However, it is worth remembering that the future increase in production does not imply an incentive for consumers to pump city water to excess. As stated in JSB 1583 of September 19, while production capacity will increase considerably, the Sidem plant will still be subject to the same constraints of seawater capture.
What's more, the distribution network managed by Saur remains the same for the time being. Consequently, consumer moderation remains the rule in Saint-Barthélemy.