Filinvest unit bags 25-year Metro Cebu water deal

Cebu water consumers can expect improved supply services after Filinvest’s utility arm, FDC Utilities Inc., secured a 25-year bulk water supply deal with Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD), the company said.

In a statement, FDC Utilities said the island’s largest water utility had given its subsidiary, FDC Water Utilities Inc., a notice of award for its unsolicited proposal to put up desalination plants to supply potable water to Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City and Talisay City.

FDC Water Utilities secured the contract after its success in the competitive challenge process as prescribed by the 2013 Neda joint venture guidelines between the government and private entities, which allow competing third parties to submit counterproposals.

The desalination facilities, FDC Water Utilities’s flagship project, will utilize seawater to be processed using so-called high recovery seawater desalination technology of its technical partner, Hitachi Ltd. of Japan.

The facilities will provide the Cebu water district a combined 80 million liters a day of high-quality potable water.

During the conferment of the contract held at the utility’s headquarters late last week, FDC Utilities president and CEO Juan Eugenio Roxas said the strategic infrastructure was an essential investment of the Filinvest group to assist the island’s water utility and its customers in securing sustainable and reliable water supply solutions.

“Our collaboration with Metro Cebu Water District promotes long-term solutions to the water requirements of Cebu,” Roxas said.