Covanta Energy Corporation has received notice to proceed from Poseidon Resources Corporation to build and operate a 25 million gallon per day (gpd) Reverse Osmosis (RO) desalination potable water drinking facility for Tampa Bay Water. Poseidon, a developer of water projects, entered into a Water Purchase Agreement with Tampa Bay Water in 1999. Under a February 2001 agreement with Poseidon, Covanta will design and build the facility for a fixed price of approximately USD 74 million and will operate the plant for the next 30 years for an annual service fee of approximately USD 7 million per year, adjusted for inflation. Covanta expects to break ground on the project in the next few weeks, and the project is scheduled to be in service by year-end 2002. The facility will produce between 25 and 28.75 million gallons per day and is designed to be expandable to 35 million gallons per day. It will use sand filtration technology for pre-treatment followed by extensive banks of reverse osmosis membrane cartridges of the type used in desalination facilities in the US and overseas.
