News
Viking Johnson Couplings For The New Sulabiya WWTP
Posted on 01st May 2003
Almost £250,000 of pipe joint products from Viking Johnson have been specified for the new Sulaibiya wastewater treatment plant in Kuwait, the Middle East’s biggest infrastructure BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) project.
Around 200 DN1400 pipe couplings are being used on the 24km ductile iron pipelines that transfer wastewater between the plant and Kuwait City. Viking Johnson Large Diameter couplings were selected in preference to alternative systems because they are lighter and easier to handle, and can accommodate angularity between pipes when laid in rocky ground.
Placed with Viking Johnson distributor Kuwait Maritime & Mercantile Corporation by contractor M A Kharafi & Sons, the order also includes Dismantling Joints to simplify the installation of valves along the route.
The long-term reliability of both VJ products was another key consideration for the BOT concessionaire company UDC (a partnership between Kharafi Group and USA reverse osmosis specialist Ionics), because it is contracted to operate the plant for 30 years before transfer to the Kuwaiti government.
Scheduled for completion in December 2004, the 600,000m3 RO plant will treat around 60% of Kuwait’s wastewaters, yielding a final effluent suitable for irrigation, industrial use and non-potable domestic purposes, and end the marine pollution caused by discharging treated wastewater into the Gulf. Sewage sludge from the process will be used for fertiliser.
Sulaibiya WwTP can claim several firsts and superlatives. For example, it is the first project for which the State of Kuwait has invited overseas investment, and is expected to be the catalyst for further private sector involvement in major public projects
It is also the largest plant in the world using RO to reclaim treated wastewater, addressing the increasing need for water and simultaneously reducing dependence on costly desalination.
