JEHBEC to inaugurate P1.05 billion water supply facility in September

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-owned water management solutions provider JE Hydro and Bio Energy Corp. (JEHBEC) will inaugurate next month its P1.05-billion bulk water supply project, providing Cebu City additional potable water supply.

JEHBEC said it would deliver its first official potable water to Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) on Sept. 18 from its 20 million liters per day (MLD) Lusaran Bulk Water Supply Facility, based on their 15-year bulk water supply agreement.

MCWD said the Lusaran project is one of its major undertakings as part of its commitment to serve the people of Metro Cebu by providing safe, potable and affordable water.

The Lusaran water project will supply 15,000 cubic meters of water a day to MCWD, which will help alleviate Cebu City’s water crisis.

The company said the P1.05-billion project is estimated to serve about 40,000 households or 200,000 individuals in the Metro Cebu area.

It includes a 20-MLD impounding lagoon and a water treatment facility that can treat highly turbid water up to 6,000 NTU with 100 percent water recovery system.

The project also has hybrid and non-conventional energy sources, including an integrated renewable energy facility consisting of floating solar panels with battery energy storage system and run-of-the-river micro-hydroelectric power system, and pipe laying work of a 30-kilometer pipeline.

“The JE Hydro Water Treatment Facility in Barangay Lusaran, Cebu City is probably one of the most versatile WTPs to be constructed in the Philippines. It employs a proven process technology capable of dealing with river waters at extreme turbidity, beyond the capacity of most existing WTPs in the Philippines,” JEHBEC chairman and CEO Joffrey Hapitan said.

He said the project has one of the lowest power usage rates within the WTP battery limit, maintains a zero-effluent discharge operation and utilizes the most efficient filtration system.

JEHBEC said Metropolitan Cebu is an area of priority for the company, given the looming water crisis. The area has an estimated total demand of 465 MLD but the current water supply deficit is above 50 percent at 242 MLD.

“As such, we are currently undertaking hydrology studies to further augment the water supply through new proposals that include three distinct 20 MLD desalination facilities in different locations of the metro, as well as exploring a 150 MLD treated bulk water supply from rivers located in the northern and southern parts of the Cebu province,” it said.

JEHBEC is a rising 100-percent Filipino owned company in the bulk water supply and treatment industry.

Established in 2011, it is an engineering service provider that specializes in advanced end-to-end water solutions across the Philippines.

It has completed six fully operational water treatment plants producing a total of 149.5 MLD of drinking water daily in Agusan del Sur, Bohol, Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro City, Iloilo and Leyte among others.

Meanwhile, JEHBEC is establishing six water treatment plants with 45 MLD total volume.