Drinking water
The company’s Aquabloc® range are containerized compact units, of the “1956” type, composed of containerized modules manufactured according to ISO Intermodal standards and factory pre-equipped to meet the growing drinking water needs of populations of 100,000 to over 1M people.
The design of the units, that perform a “1829” conventional treatment (lamella clarification, coagulation, flocculation and pressure filtration) provides drinking water production from 200 to 2,000 m3/hour starting from surface water. The operation of the installations is fully automated, from the point where the raw water is pumped to the distribution network. The production units and the pipes are made of stainless steel allowing the modules to last over 40 years.
Containerized compact units have several advantages: speed of manufacture (3 to 4 months), ease of transportation of the modules by sea and land, reduction of civil works (limited to the construction of a concrete platform) and assembly (1 to 2 months) on site. Units are factory produced in less than 12 months compared to the time necessary for completing a traditional type of plant ranging from 18 to 36 months.
The company has also developed a range of containerized compact units called UCC AQUABLOC SOLAR ® UF for the production of drinking water by ultrafiltration, powered from photovoltaic energy and therefore with no CO² emissions. The range of 5 to 100 m3 / hour allows drinking water to be supplied to villages that have no access to electricity, as well as to people in outer urban areas not connected to the drinking water distribution network.
The range is completed by the UCC Aquabloc® UF (Ultra Filtration), UCC Aquabloc® BWRO & UCC Aquabloc® SWRO (Reverse osmosis) compact units for the desalination of brackish water and seawater.
1829: The effectiveness of this treatment process (decantation and filtration) has been amply demonstrated since the first filtration system made in 1829 under the direction of James Simpson and intended to supply the city of London.
1956: More than just a way to package goods, the container is a real system that Malcolm McLean invented in 1956. A system that took just a dozen years to become a worldwide standard. Two factors were key in this success: first of all the international standardization of containers, which Malcolm Mc Lean understood to be the determining factor of their worldwide success, and for which he campaigned ardently. In 1961, he succeeded in setting the ISO standard for 20, 30 and 40 feet sizes of containers.
Fossil energy
Following the same concept of the “Malcolm McLean” container the company has developed energy production and transformation units with a capacity between 250 and 3’000 kVA, under the names POWERBLOC® and TRANSBLOC ®.
These units complete the process of producing and supplying drinking water by allowing on the one hand, the powering of AQUABLOC ® units on sites that do not have an electricity connection and, on the other hand, by ensuring the availability of emergency power in the event of a power outage for sites that do have a connection to the electricity grid.
The TRANSBLOC® units incorporate electrical transformers and related equipment protection and security. These units are air-conditioned.
The POWERBLOC® units incorporate emergency power generators or UPSs. Fully soundproofed and climatised, they are equipped with a complementary, double walled fuel tank, of sufficient capacity to guarantee an optimum autonomy of the unit.
Solar Energy
Improving people’s access to electricity is a priority in Sub-Saharan Africa. Swiss Water Power International SA has expertise in this field, combined with our international experience on building sites.
Swiss Water Power International SA is involved from conception to realization in the production of “turnkey” CSPV photovoltaic power plants with a capacity of 10 to 50 MW.
Solar power stations are built within 6 to 18 months. They represent a significant time saving compared to hydroelectric and fossil fuel development projects that require a construction period of 2 to 5 years.
The company also develops solar power plants with floating panels and solar power plants with containerized panels.
The advantages of CSFPV floating solar plants lie mainly in the fact that they do not encroach on populated and agricultural areas. They also allow for better performance because the installation benefits from the cool air on the surface of the water improving the cooling of the electrical equipment and increasing the performance of the installation.
The CSCPV containerized solar plant can quickly meet the electrification needs of rural and village areas, humanitarian interventions, natural disasters, as well as relay stations for mobile telephony.
As part of its research and development policy and in order to facilitate cleaning and optimize the performance of the PV modules, Swiss Water Power International SA is currently studying a continuous maintenance system featuring water-free cleaning robots fed by solar energy independently of the energy produced by the power plant.
In pursuit of its development strategy, Swiss Water Power International SA offers intelligent solutions for the management of solar public lighting and solar traffic lights. The eStreetlighting® intelligent management concept allows on the one hand the detection of any operational fault in real time, without the need for 24/7 monitoring, and secondly, to program lighting on roundabouts and main roads, secondary streets, commercial and industrial areas, monuments and tourist areas. The objective is to improve the safety of the population, to optimize traffic, and consequently to optimize the management of electrical energy by reducing pollution and CO2 emissions and to substantially reduce maintenance costs.
Wastewater treatment
In the context of environmental protection, the company promotes eco-friendly sanitation by lagooning for the purification of domestic wastewater using microphytes or macrophytes. This technique is essentially based on the creation and planting of linked retention ponds, enhanced by “sanitation reeds” with a strong root system to ensure excellent oxygenation.
The advantage of this environmentally friendly, low-cost technique, due to the absence of electrical consumption and wear of electromechanical equipment and by definition of maintenance, is that it is integrated harmoniously into the landscape.
Lagooning, compared to other conventional systems, gives value to domestic wastewater through the annual gathering of the plant biomass for composting and fertilization of agricultural land, by creating a shelter for aquatic flora and fauna that is attracted to the lagoons by the abundance of food in the form of animal and vegetable plankton, and by the living environment that it represents throughout the seasons.
The waterproofing of the pools is ensured by the installation of EPDM geo-membrane, which has excellent resistance to UV and ozone aging, puncturing and roots. This ecological membrane is chemically inert and has a reduced impact on the environment.
The company manages all stages from conception to completion in a “turnkey” mode.
Engineering works are subcontracted to local companies under the supervision of an expert from Swiss Water Power International SA.
Waste
As part of the protection of the environment and the improvement of the living environment of the population, Swiss Water Power International SA implements the concept of selective sorting, recycling and recovery of waste. It assists local authorities in setting up policies for the management of household, industrial, hospital, medical, agricultural, construction and meat processing waste.
The company manages the various stages of the design process up to the “turnkey” realization of intelligent solutions adapted to the country. The management is carried out through a consortium of specific partners, of which it acts as the coordinator, in close collaboration with local companies with the required experience.
Infrastructure & Networks
The level of drinking water losses in distribution networks in sub-Saharan Africa is often close to 50%. These losses, which are often accompanied by a low rate of collection of charges, do not allow most of the drinking water production and distribution authorities to maintain existing networks and to build new infrastructure to meet the needs of the population.
Swiss Water Power International SA, in line with its development strategy, supports its Clients in defining and planning leak detection, repair and extension programs for storage networks and reservoirs.
To meet this demand, Swiss Water Power International SA brings together, within a consortium for which it provides leadership, technical partners with the required expertise.
Building works
For each of its projects, Swiss Water Power International SA carries out detailed studies on the execution of the earthworks and civil works required for the construction of the structures and infrastructures including access roads and external works.
The company also carries out the construction necessary for the operation of the water and energy production facilities.
Where appropriate, it utilizes prefabricated buildings for production units, operating offices, storage of water treatment chemicals, control rooms, maintenance and storage workshops for spare parts, as well as the dwellings of the operating personnel.
Rehabilitation
Swiss Water Power International Ltd is involved in the diagnosis and rehabilitation of existing water treatment facilities. UCC Aquabloc® containerized compact units can be installed temporarily to compensate for the stoppage in water production during the period of rehabilitation of existing facilities. They can then be moved to another site or reinforced existing facilities.
Swiss Water Power International SA is also involved in the diagnosis and rehabilitation of hydroelectric power plants.