Puerto Rico to award 4 water projects early next year

The Puerto Rican government will receive bids next month for four water projects worth a combined US$82mn. 

Published on the island’s procurement website, the tenders are: 23-SP-017, 23-SP-024, 23-SP-025 and 23-SP-026. 

The projects are expected to benefit eight municipalities: Añasco, Mayagüez, Hormigueros, Rincón, Cabo Rojo, Aguada, Aguadilla and Bayamón.

The works will be financed with funds from the Aqueducts and Sewage Authority (AAA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and a potable water program, local news outlet Noticel reported AAA head Doriel Pagán Crespo as saying.

The tender for the first project with capex of US$8.3mn involves the construction of a new raw water intake at the Añasco River, which will have new Coanda screening technology, improved water control and riverbank stabilization, and interconnection pipelines with the existing system.

Bids will be opened on January 26, while the proposals for the other three tenders will all be unveiled on January 12. 

Worth US$59.2mn, this tender is for a project to increase production at the Culebrinas River water treatment plant. It also includes the installation of a new power substation, power generators and, improvements to the raw water pump station. 

The third tender with project capex of US$3.7mn involves the restauration of the Guerrero 2 sanitary pumping station facilities, including improvements in three key areas at the sanitary pump station. 

The last tender, worth US$10mn, is for a project that will improve the wastewater treatment plant in Bayamón municipality, including the influent wet pit and screen building, pump station, grit removal system, primary clarifiers, access roads and administrative building.