VIEW FROM THE TOP
BIODIGESTERS TO REDUCE TREATMENT COSTS FRANCISCO CHOZAS President of the Fypasa Group
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Q: What opportunities did Fypasa identify in the operation
the largest plant in Latin America removing arsenic, besides
of water-treatment plants?
manganese and iron, and treating 1,000L/s of underground
A: In 1992, the Mexican government implemented a policy to
water in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara.
build water (WTP) and wastewater-treatment plants (WWTP) under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) framework for the
Q: What is Fypasa’s strategy for securing public contracts
first time. Before this, public-owned WTP and WWTP projects
through the tender process?
were undertaken through construction bids, and subsequently
A: Fypasa exists because of water. We are a highly
the engineering was carried out by consultants and did not
specialized company that, through public bids, treats
include the plant’s operation, which was carried out by
the potable water the country needs and cleans the
authorities. We identified the opportunity to transform from
wastewater the country produces. There is no secret to
construction to BOT or turnkey (design, build and start up)
winning a bid. By rule, the most inexpensive, technical
projects. We shifted from a construction company to one that
solution and applicable proposal must win. However,
could also design and operate these plants.
sometimes bids are won by companies that merely offer the lowest price. This leads to cheap projects but not
Considering the opportunities that the new policy opened,
necessarily to quality projects. Sometimes, fraudulent
we allied with GMD and won a bid to design, build and
companies offer impossibly cheap proposals and then
operate the Toluca WWTPs. We created two special-
raise their prices upon winning, flee with the advance
purpose companies to operate each plant: Ecosys I for
payment for the project, do not finish the work, or simply
the North Toluca plant and Ecosys II for East Toluca.
never build the plant. On the other hand, there are some
These WWTPs are a source of pride for us. They currently
large and economically powerful companies that can offer
discharge 1,700L/s of treated wastewater into the Lerma
low prices but lack the technical expertise and support
River that eventually reaches Chapala Lake, which is one of
to build good, well-equipped treatment plants. Fypasa
the water supply sources for the city of Guadalajara.
is a medium-sized company, but it has many years of experience and plenty of engineering expertise in the
Q: Which water or wastewater-treatment plants have
water and wastewater-treatment sector.
posed the most difficult challenges for Fypasa? A: The most challenging project was the industrial wastewater-
Q: What trends are on the horizon for water and wastewater
treatment plant of Leon. The complexity of this project derives
treatment?
from the high amount of garbage and highly concentrated
A: In terms of funding, the water infrastructure sector
and dangerous pollutants that the tanneries of the local
has experienced deep budget cuts in the last few years.
leather industry discharge into the sewerage system. Gerry
Companies will start using PPP models to develop and
Shell, one of our company’s consultants, labeled Leon’s
operate WTPs and WWTPs. PPP models have not been
wastewater “the mother of all wastewaters” because of its
applied in this sector but they soon will be. In terms of
nature and concentration, and because of the difficulty of
water problems that need to be solved, another key trend
treating it. Another challenging project was the design,
could be desalination plants, because in many regions of
construction and operation of the Toluquilla WTP, which is
the country it is not feasible to provide water in any other way. Using biodigesters to produce biogas from the residual sludge of a WWTP for power and heat generation would
FYPASA established in 1942 under the name Filters and
be a common way to reduce the operational costs of many
Purifiers Aztlán, is specialized in constructing water treatment
medium and large-sized WWTPs. Indeed, Fypasa is doing
infrastructure. Since its inception, it has developed its
this at the Leon WWTP and will also soon begin performing
capabilities to be able to treat water at a rate of 23.86m3/s
this operation at the Hermosillo WWTP.
