The Municipal Public Company for Telecommunications, Drinking Water, Sanitation and Environmental Management of the Cuenca canton (ETAPA EP), has commissioned TYPSA with the construction supervision and startup of the Guangarcucho wastewater treatment plant, called PTAR-G (WWTP-G).
This project constitutes one of the strategic axes of development in Cuenca, the objective of which is to expand the coverage of its sanitation services and improve the environmental conditions of the urban and surrounding areas. To this end, the construction of a new wastewater treatment system completes the existing health system in Ucubamba, responding to the increase in population benefiting more than one million inhabitants by the horizon year 2050. The commissioning of this new plant will also contribute to the reduction of existing pollution in rivers and streams.
As supervisor, during the 37-month duration of the contract, TYPSA will assume the responsibility of verifying, controlling and certifying that the construction of the Guangarcucho WWTP meets the highest levels of quality, safety and sustainability, as well as the environmental and social standards and safeguards of the multilateral companies that have contributed to the funding of the project.
The new WWTP will be built on a 7.4 ha site. It will treat 1,200 litres per second and will include inlet structures, two grit chambers, three primary settlers, four biological reactors, four secondary clarifiers and a UV disinfection chamber. For sludge treatment, the plant will feature two gravity thickeners, dewatering belts, three anaerobic digesters, and centrifuges for sludge dewatering. The installed capacity is estimated at 4.5 MW, and it is expected that up to 700 kWh of energy can be generated from the biogas produced during anaerobic digestion.
This new contract is not the first that TYPSA has carried out in this sector in the city of Cuenca. Previously, it carried out the Master Plans for Water and Sanitation for the Inter-American Development Bank in the 1990s. This contract reinforces TYPSA’s presence in Ecuador, where it has been present since the beginning of its international journey, in the 1970s. Thus, the portfolio of projects in the region increases, improving people’s quality of life and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in terms of water and sanitation.
The project, with a construction budget of USD 65 M, has funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF).
