Vivant unit eyes to finish Cordova desalination facility by year-end

MANILA  -A unit of publicly listed Vivant Corp. plans to boost water supply in Cebu province by 20 million liters per day (MLD) through a seawater desalination plant set for completion by December.

Isla Mactan-Cordova Corp. (IMCC), a subsidiary of Vivant Hydrocore Holdings Inc., said the P2-billion desalination facility could provide water for around 20,000 Filipino households daily.

According to IMCC president and chief executive Jess Anthony Garcia, the capacity could be increased to 50 MLD once the facility is fully operational by early 2024 in the municipality of Cordova.

The desalination plant will utilize seawater reverse osmosis technology, which removes salt from seawater to produce potable water.

READ: Vivant dips into water business via 25-year deal with Metro Cebu

“The project aims to address the gap between water demand and supply while allowing severely extracted groundwater aquifers to replenish naturally,” Vivant said in a statement.

The company said the project was at 70-percent completion as “key components” still have to be installed.

READ: Commercial desalination plant seen to improve Mactan water supply

Vivant Hydrocore had partnered with the municipality of Cordova for the project. Watermatic Philippines, a joint venture company of parent firm Vivant Corp. and Israel-based Watermatic International, is leading the construction.

In 2021, Vivant Hydrocore was tapped to build a utility scale desalination plant after securing a 25-year bulk water supply deal with the Metropolitan Cebu Water District.

Vivant officials unveiled plans in 2020 to invest in water infrastructure, including bulk water supply and wastewater treatment plants.