Antigua and Barbuda is set to see a significant improvement in water supply with the construction of a new desalination plant at Shell Beach.
Excavation work is now underway for a 2.2 million-gallon-per-day desalination plant, a project spearheaded by Seven Seas Water Group—the same company responsible for the one-million-gallon-per-day facility at Ffryes Beach. The initiative aims to increase water production and distribution across the nation.
Speaking at the site on Friday, Jason Basu Peters, Acting Manager of the Antigua Public Utilities Authority’s (APUA) Water Business Unit, confirmed that the foundation work is progressing swiftly.
“We are now getting ready to put in the steel and pour concrete as early as next week. Weather permitting, we anticipate having all the footings poured by the end of the week,” he stated.
The construction team is working on an eight-week timeline to complete the concrete slab, with expectations that the plant will begin producing water by the end of September 2025.
Once operational, the facility will more than double the current output from Shell Beach, enhancing water supply to northern Antigua, including areas such as New Winthorpes and Cedar Valley.
“The direct impact will first be felt on the northern side of the island, and then in areas west of New Winthorpes, as we expand the pipeline infrastructure,” Peters explained.
This expansion aligns with APUA’s broader strategy to ensure a consistent and reliable water supply for residents. Peters noted that, in addition to the Shell Beach project, another desalination plant at Crabs Peninsula will add 3.2 million gallons per day to the island’s water production by early 2026.
“When this plant is ready, we will be pretty close to achieving 24/7 water supply. With the Crabs plant adding further capacity by December into January next year, the production issue will be resolved,” he assured.
Despite the increased water output, Peters acknowledged that aging infrastructure remains a challenge, requiring a robust distribution system overhaul to maximize efficiency.
The APUA continues to monitor these developments closely, as the government of Antigua and Barbuda pushes forward with efforts to strengthen water security and resilience across the twin-island nation.
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Get some state of the art staff before you get state of the art equipment jerk off guy
Took this Power House of the World government years to realise that no one at APUA knew what they were doing. Millions of dollars wasted on RO plants that don’t work and suddenly after contracting a US company, non stop water is now flowing from the plant round south. So now the same US company has the contract to build this one. Is there no accountability any where in this government? This is not a real place.
An Island of 108 square miles. With a population of about 100,000 people. How many damn RO Plants do they need? Who are enriching themselves from the sourcing of these plants? I personally cannot wait to see some of them going to 1735 for Corruption in Public Office. While they are being taken there. They should be walking in bracelets and ankle bracelets, barefooted. What a joy that would be.
This is an illusion of good writing to alleviate the psychological stress people are feeling over lack of water to clean themselves, this writer is to make you feel good because what new plant? The plant has been at barnacle point with the nomenclature ivan rodriques tagging the building for years, the unstable power supply with current lagging the voltage will continue to burn motors causing high maintenance, their is no power factor correction circuitry to get stable frequency on motor power supply, the more things change they remain the same.
This should’ve been the case a few decades ago. Whenever that is finally a reality, we need to know how much money was sourced and how much was spent. We all know that we can’t issue a count on materials that have been used in a structure but we still need to hear something; after all, there are many persons in our midst who want to learn how to siphon money through construction.
It’s great to see Antigua and Barbuda focusing on improving their water supply with the new desalination plants. While progress is being made, it’s essential to ensure proper maintenance and efficient use of resources. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of a more sustainable and resilient future for our twin-island nation.
I hear you, @Eldread. While it’s true that the Barnacle Point plant has been around, the efforts to expand and improve its output shouldn’t be dismissed entirely. That being said, addressing the underlying issues with power supply is crucial for ensuring the long-term success of these projects. It’s important for the government to consider all aspects of infrastructure to provide reliable services to the people of Antigua and Barbuda.