The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Desalination plant commissioned

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Sunday, Jul 05, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Desalination plant commissioned

Ajai Sreevatsan

— Photo: R.Ragu

New facility: Seawater pumping station of CPCL’s desalination plant.

CHENNAI: The desalination plant of Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (CPCL), to meet the fresh water requirements of its Manali refinery, commissioned on Saturday has a production capacity of 5.8 Million Gallons per Day (MGD). It employs the Reverse Osmosis (RO) treatment mechanism.

The facility, situated in Kattupalli, 23 km from the refinery, is expandable and has the potential to be upgraded to produce 10 MGD.

“It is the first of its kind in the country. There are no other refineries with an allied desalination plant,” said S. Chandrasekaran, Director (Technical), CPCL.

The primary reason for the construction of the plant is the acute water crisis the city faces whenever the monsoon fails. Until now, most of the water requirements of the CPCL were met by the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB).

“Our operations in the refinery had to be entirely shut down during past cycles of extreme water shortage. The desalination facility is the outcome of plans which were put in place earlier to achieve self-sufficiency. The city is already starving for water. There are not many sources of water,” said Mr. Chandrasekaran.

On the environmental impact of desalination plants, Mr.Chandrasekan said that studies have been undertaken and adequate measures taken to mitigate any impact. “The effluents [brine] are discharged 250 m into the sea and a diffusion mechanism is employed to prevent build-up of saline concentration,” he said.

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