Sidem to double its water production

Thanks to a new machine received and installed last Saturday, the Sidem plant in Public will be able to double its production capacity by the end of the year.

It was long-awaited. Early Saturday morning, September 14, Sidem officially took delivery of its new production unit. This machine does not replace the existing one, but rather boosts the capacity of Public's desalination plant. By the end of the year, Sidem will be able to double its production of drinking water.
Early on Saturday morning, Sidem staff were busy working between the quays of the commercial port and the Public plant to install the equipment needed to transport and then install the imposing Barrel tank. A delicate operation which was successfully completed. To carry out the operation, the street leading to Public beach and the sailing club was closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic until 6pm.

Between 3,000 and 4,700 m3 per day
The handover of the new production unit marks an important milestone for Sidem and all consumers who use city water in Saint-Barthélemy. The "new generation reverse osmosis" Barrel (an industrial desalination process, editor's note) 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. The advantage of this machine is that it provides greater safety for personnel," explains Laurent Berry. Everything is inside, which also saves space and energy. The Barrel, manufactured by Sidem in Oman, United Arab Emirates ("because that's where the market is developing", stresses the manager), consumes 0.05 kWh less per cubic metre produced than its conventional version.
Although the Public plant site has already been adapted for this new unit, it will not actually be up and running until the end of the year. This will give technicians time to carry out all the necessary connections and other operating and safety tests. This "new generation" Barrel is a pressure vessel 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. In short, a fine piece of equipment.
Nevertheless, this announced increase in production does not mean that consumers will be encouraged to pump city water to excess. Although 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 will remain unchanged for the time being. The increase in production should also ensure more reliable water storage in the island's reservoirs.