Senior Water Business Unit Officials Tour Fort James RO Facility Ahead of Ultrafiltration Unit Commissioning

PRESS RELEASE

St. John’s, Antigua – May 1, 2025 – Senior members of the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) Water Business Unit conducted a site visit today, Thursday, May 1, 2025, at the Fort James Reverse Osmosis (RO) facility to provide updates on the installation and upcoming commissioning of a new ultrafiltration unit.

The ultrafiltration unit is designed to enhance the water treatment process by introducing an additional layer of filtration. This upgrade will significantly improve the facility’s ability to remove fine sediments, which are typically more prevalent during periods of high sea swells. In addition, the unit will support the extended lifespan of the RO membranes, boosting overall system efficiency and reliability.

Engineers from Waterworks Technologies, based in Dubai, are currently on-site at Fort James finalizing installation and testing of the ultrafiltration unit. Commissioning is scheduled for the first week of June.

The current daily production at the Fort James facility stands at approximately 300,000 imperial gallons (IG). Once the unit is fully operational, production is expected to increase to the facility’s full RO capacity of 1,000,000 IG per day.

During the visit, officials also provided updates on ongoing efforts to increase output at other RO facilities, which have been awaiting customized spare parts and critical equipment. Once these upgrades are complete, an estimated 2,000,000 IG will be added to APUA’s existing daily production of 6,100,000 IG, bringing projected output to approximately 8,200,000 IG by mid-June 2025.

Further improvements are anticipated by the end of October 2025 with the commissioning of Phase 2 of the Seven Seas project at Barnacle Point. This is expected to increase total daily production to approximately 9,300,000 IG, significantly improving the distribution and availability of water to residents across the island.

APUA remains committed to strengthening its infrastructure and enhancing service delivery as it works toward long-term sustainability and resilience in water production.