MPIC Unit Says Iloilo Mega Desalination Plant Will Be Completed By 2026

METROPAC Water Investments Corp. (Metro Pacific Water) said it aims to complete the Philippines’ largest desalination plant in Iloilo City by 2026.

“We are all focused on that. That will be the largest desalination for the Philippines. So far, the goal is to have it operational by 2026,” Christopher Andrew B. Pangilinan, president and CEO of Metro Pacific Water, said on the sidelines of an event Tuesday.

In June, the company signed an agreement with France-based Suez, a provider of water and waste management solutions, to build a €5 billion desalination plant capable of producing 66.5 million liters of water per day.

Mr. Pangilinan said construction of the project will begin in the latter part of the third quarter.

“If you look at the technology, compared to ten years ago, I think we are now ten times more efficient in terms of costs. Still expensive, but we are optimistic in the long term [that] This will be a viable solution for the Philippines, especially because we are an archipelago, so we are at high risk, but we are willing to test this in Iloilo,” he said.

The company noted that Metro Iloilo is experiencing rapid economic and population growth, which is putting pressure on existing water resources.

According to Metro Pacific Water, a new desalination plant would be a critical project to ensure a reliable and sustainable water supply for the region in the short and medium term.

“If it proves successful, I am sure we can easily replicate this in other islands in the Philippines,” Mr. Pangilinan said.

Metro Pacific Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), manages water and wastewater concessions in the Philippines and Vietnam.

Its Iloilo subsidiary, Metro Pacific Iloilo Water, a joint venture with the Metro Iloilo Water District, serves Iloilo City and the municipalities of Pavia, Leganes, Sta. Barbara, Cabatuan, Oton, San Miguel and Maasin.

MPIC is one of First Pacific’s three main Philippine units, alongside Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., holds a majority interest in Business world through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. – Shelden Joy Talavera