A Tokyo-based business will set up a joint-venture with a clean water company in Vietnam to build a large-scale water purification plant in Hanoi, Vice Mayor of Tokyo, Naoki Inose said. Accordingly, TSS, a clean water company based in Tokyo, and Japan’s Metawater Co. Ltd., will collaborate with Hanoi Water Supply Company and a local construction company to set up the joint-venture this year.
The plant will be built next year with a total estimated investment of JPY10 billion-JPY20 billion ($130 million -$260 million), of which Vietnam will contribute 50%. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is also mulling over a financial contribution to the project. The plant is designed to produce 150,000cu.m of water in first years, and its capacity will rise to 300,000cu.m by 2020.
TSS will take an active part in the plant management and will directly supply the world-standard technology to prevent water loss. Naoki Inose said this is the first time local authorities in Japan will directly participate in a clean water supply project in a foreign country. Earlier, Osaka city joined in the construction of a similar plant in HCM City, but only assisted in the field of technology rather than management. Clean water demand of Hanoi is estimated at around 550,000cu.m per day. But, the demand is forecast to soar to 1 million-1.5 million cu.m per day due to rapid urbanization and an increase in the number of businesses, resulting in a high risk of clean water shortage. (vovnews.vn Oct 5, vietnamplus.vn Oct 5)
