JEHBEC to partially operate water supply facility in Cebu

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-owned water management solutions provider JE Hydro and Bio Energy Corp. (JEHBEC) will commence partial operation of its P1.2-billion Lusaran bulk water treatment plant (WTP) by mid-November.

With the partial operation, JEHBEC’s new facility will provide Cebu City with an initial two million liters per day (MLD) of potable water starting Nov. 16.

The partial commercial operation is in reference to the volume of water that the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) is capable of receiving, the company said in a statement to The STAR.

According to MWCD, it can only receive 2,000 cubic meters (m3) per day or two MLD, starting Nov. 16 because its reservoir and pipeline are not yet fully installed.

Under their 15-year bulk water supply agreement, the 20-MLD Lusaran WTP will supply the contracted volume of 15,000 m3 per day or 15 MLD under full operations.

JEHBEC said the water depot, which was supposed to be completed in late July, is still under construction due to delays.

Upon its completion in December, the water depot will serve as the reservoir for JEHBEC’s potable drinking water, which will be delivered through the completed 30-kilometer pipeline from the Lusaran WTP.

The MCWD Water Depot will also serve as the main transmission point that will provide direct access to the households of Cebu City.

“Our company, with our proven track record, is poised to develop additional supply of potable water to MCWD coming from surface water sources, which certainly are cheaper than desalinated water,” JEHBEC chairman and CEO Joffrey Hapitan said.

The Lusaran WTP, with total cost of P1.2 billion, was principally funded by the Land Bank of the Philippines.

It includes a 20-MLD impounding lagoon and a water treatment facility that can treat highly turbid water up 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.

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.