Macao Water financial results | Annual water consumption rises

Macao Water recorded an after-tax profit of MOP64.66 million, with MOP52.37 million coming from the major business of supplying water. According to the company’s financial results announced yesterday, the region’s water supplier made a total investment of MOP65.43 million in 2016.

The financial results indicate that the annual water consumption was 86.70 million cubic meters in 2016, a slight increase of 2.1 percent compared with 2015. The average daily water consumption was 237,000 cubic meters. Commercial and industrial water use accounted for 50.9 percent of the total water consumption, while residential water use represented 42.7 percent, and government and municipal water use 6.4 percent.

Macao Water’s major investment projects included the laying and replacement of the water supply pipeline network. According to the company, 1.8 km of old water pipelines were replaced in 2016. Other investment projects included upgrading and improving water supply equipment, replacing water meters, applying the smart pipeline network system, as well as daily maintenance of fixed assets.

According to Macao Water, the demand for water has been increasing in the outlying islands (including Taipa, Coloane, Cotai and the Hengqin campus of the University of Macau) in recent years. Statistics show that in 2016, water consumption in the Macau Peninsula represented 64 percent of total water consumption, while water consumption in the outlying islands accounted for 36 percent of total consumption, an increase of 6.2 percent year-on-year. Among these islands, Cotai saw the highest water consumption growth of 13.2 percent. With the new reclamation area, Pac On Ferry Terminal, the HK-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and large-scale residential and entertainment facilities coming into place in coming years,  demand for water in these islands is expected to continue increasing.  Macao Water has expressed the need to build a new water treatment plant there.

Macao Water is preparing for the construction of a water treatment plant which can supply 130,000 cubic meters of water per day in Seac Pai Van in Coloane. With construction expected to begin in the third quarter of this year, the water treatment plant is projected to become operative in 2019. After that, Macau’s daily water supply will increase from the current 390,000 cubic meters to 520,000 cubic meters.

Macao Water claims that this heightened capacity will be able to meet the city’s demand for water in the next 10 to 15 years, and ensures water supply stability in the islands.