Chennai: The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has invited bids from national and international consultancy firms to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for a proposed 400 million litres per day (MLD) seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant at Kattupalli village, in Minjur, marking a step towards expanding Chennai’s desalination capacity.
The proposed project, estimated to cost around Rs. 4,800 crore, was announced by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay in the Assembly on September 2 to meet the growing drinking water demand of north Chennai and neighbouring areas, including Avadi, Ponneri and Minjur. The plant is expected to benefit around 27 lakh people.
The consultancy assignment will cover pre-feasibility studies, DPR preparation, drafting tender documents, and evaluating bids through an international competitive bidding process to select an agency to execute the project.
As per the tender conditions, consultancy firms must have prepared a DPR for at least one SWRO desalination plant with a minimum capacity of 50 MLD. The plant must have been commissioned and operated satisfactorily for at least one year during the last five years.
The tender documents will be available on the CMWSSB website and the Tamil Nadu e-tender portal from November 6 to December 22. The last date for submission of bids is December 22 at 3 pm, and the bids will be opened after 3.30 pm on the same day.
A pre-bid meeting will be held on November 18 at 11 am at the first-floor conference hall of Metrowater headquarters on Pumping Station Road, Chintadripet. The bid security has been fixed at Rs. 2.50 lakh, payable through an electronic bank guarantee.
The proposed facility will add to Chennai’s expanding desalination infrastructure. The city currently has desalination plants at Minjur and Nemmeli, while another 400 MLD plant is under construction at Perur, near Nemmeli. The two existing Nemmeli facilities have capacities of 110 MLD and 150 MLD.
The existing 100 MLD Minjur desalination plant, Chennai’s first such facility, commenced commercial operations in 2010. Following deterioration in its performance and termination of the contract with its operator in September 2024, Metrowater took over its operation in April 2025 and has been undertaking restoration works.
The new 400 MLD proposal at Minjur is expected to strengthen water security for north Chennai and reduce the city’s dependence on reservoir storage and monsoon rainfall. The tender has been floated by the Superintending Engineer, Contracts and Monitoring Wing, CMWSSB, under international competitive bidding.
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