Iloilo desalination plant eyes partial energization by December 2027

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

ILOILO CITY — Iloilo City could get an additional 30 million liters per day (MLD) of water by December 2027, when Metro Pacific Iloilo Water Inc. (MPIW) plans to partially energize its 66.5 MLD desalination plant in Barangay Ingore, La Paz district.

MPIW Chief Operating Officer Angelo David Berba said Thursday, Sept. 3, that the company has committed to initially energize about 30 MLD of the facility’s capacity by the end of 2027, with full energization targeted for the second quarter of 2028.

“Our target is to achieve partial energization by December 2027. The facility has a capacity of 66.5 MLD, so at least we should be able to energize half of it. That is our commitment to the city mayor,” he said.

He added that MPIW is coordinating with Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas and regularly updating her office on the project’s permitting requirements and construction timeline.

“It should be a priority project not only by the MPIW but also the city government,” he said.

The project earlier faced delays after MPIW failed to submit some of the permits required by the city government.

The initial 30 MLD output is expected to raise MPIW’s service coverage in Iloilo City by about 10 percentage points.

Berba said full operation of the 66.5 MLD facility could bring the company’s coverage to about 50% of the city.

“If there is full energization of the desalination plant, our coverage in Iloilo City will reach 50 percent. So at least with 30 MLD, our service coverage in Iloilo City alone will increase to 40 percent, because that will add another 10 percentage points to our service coverage. It will jump to 50 percent once the full 66.5 MLD is operational,” he said.

Berba said the project has moved forward since the delays, with the consortium of SUEZ and JEMCO, the facility’s contractor, already deployed at the site and undertaking grading works.

Grading involves leveling and shaping the site and moving soil to establish the base and slope required for construction.

He added that the company has also obtained some of the permits needed to proceed with construction.

“We have already obtained some of the permits. There are many of them. From the city government, we need to secure about 10 permits. These are separate from the permits for the facility itself. For example, a fencing permit is separate, while a building permit is another requirement,” he said.

Berba said MPIW is also fast-tracking pipeline projects in the City Proper and nearby districts so that water from the desalination plant can reach households once partial energization begins.

“From Nabitasan, which is in the eastern portion, water will flow westward. So all the areas along the route toward the City Proper and up to the port areas will benefit because we have already laid pipelines there,” he explained.

MPIW is targeting about 22 projects in Iloilo City, including 11 additional projects currently in the pipeline, to expand its distribution network and support the plant’s eventual output.

“Our projects are ongoing, so you may notice that there are already works being carried out in the City Proper,” Berba said.

The desalination plant, which MPIW has touted as the largest of its kind in the country, broke ground on Feb. 21, 2025.

The PHP 5.5 billion project will use reverse osmosis technology to convert seawater into potable water.

MPIW is a joint venture between Metro Pacific Water and the Metro Iloilo Water District, which took over the district’s water distribution operations in 2019 under a 25-year agreement.

The facility is expected to provide a more reliable water source for Metro Iloilo and eventually serve more than 400,000 residents once fully operational.