The client Aguas e Energie de Boavista AEB is the newest company in the water and sanitation sector on the island of Boavista. The company was created as part of the reform of the water and sanitation sector being implemented by the Cape Verdean government. AEBs mission is to provide water supply and sanitation services in a sustainable manner and at affortable prices to all segments of the population.
Objective of the AEB:
– Long-term improvement of safe water supply to urban and rural communities with all its positive impacts on health and socio-economic development of the inhabitants.
– Expansion of the water supply to meet local demand.
– Reduction of energy demand per m³ of drinking water produced. The cost of energy supply in Cape Verde is very high due to the geographical conditions. Therefore, the energy recovery system used by UNIHA is highly efficient. This significantly reduces the costs of the required energy demand and thus sustainably relieves the budget.
Market Description
Cape Verde faces extreme water scarcity with less than 50 mm of rainfall per year on an average of only 6 rainy days per year and one of the lowest water tables on the continent. According to a World Bank report, water consumption in Cape Verde is 35 litres per capita per day, bordering on subsistence level. Due to water shortages, the country is forced to import almost 82% of its food, which leads to dependency, especially in view of enormous price increases in the transport sector.
Often, drinking water is delivered to the local population by truck and there is a clear regulation on how many buckets can be bought. Some of the water is still taken from existing wells. As groundwater resources are extremely limited, wells are often closed and there are strict regulations on how much groundwater can be extracted.
The government of Cape Verde relies heavily on desalination plants to provide fresh water for its inhabitants. In fact, desalination already accounts for about 85% of drinking water production.
Key Data of the Project
Project duration: 20 months from entry into force of the contract
Plant capacity: 2 x 2,500 m³/day
– Process design and engineering
– Open Sea Water Intake
– Supply of the electro-mechanical equipment
– Installation of the electro-mechanical equipment
– Supply and installation of a drinking water tank for the mains supply
– Training
– Delivery of spare parts
