Amaravati:Kakinada SEZ Limited, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Auro Infra Realty and Infrastructure, is setting up a 3x50 MLD (Million Liters per Day) Desalination Plant at Kona Village in Kakinada District of Andhra Pradesh, with an investment of Rs 1310 crore.
An Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) under the Ministry of Forests at the Centre recommended the proposal for Coastal Regulation Zone clearance (CRZ), with some conditions, in a meeting held on June 26.
The desalination plant facility comprises two seawater intake pipelines to draw 380 MLD from the sea to the desalination plant. Further, the product water from the desalination plant will be distributed to the industries and port through various pipelines, the EAC said in the minutes of the meeting.
The outfall pipeline will be laid in the sea to carry the brine rejects of 230 MLD from the desalination plant, it further said."Accordingly, the Committee has recommended the proposal for CRZ Clearance under the CRZ Notification, 2011, subject to the following terms and conditions." the EAC said.
The project proponent shall assist in developing a prototype to reuse brine discharge, instead of discharging it into the sea, to reduce marine pollution, the Committee said, as one of the conditions.The company will provide necessary funds to a reputed university / research institute in the field and submit a report to the concerned authorities for further monitoring and compliance.Desalination water will help to reduce the load on the freshwater available in the neighboring areas.
Groundwater tapping will get substantially reduced, the EAC noted while nodding.The budget of Rs 10 crore is earmarked for environmental mitigation, monitoring, and protection measures for the project, the EAC noted.In the case of any change in the scope of the project, the company would require a fresh appraisal by this Ministry for the same.
Kakinada SEZ was established for the purpose of developing SEZ/Domestic Tariff Area including the industrial city and township in Kakinada special economic zone in AP.
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