Zero Liquid Discharge for Kemper Supplied by Aquatech:

Additional informaton:

Mississippi Power Co. announced Thursday it has awarded a contract to Aquatech International, a water purification technology provider, for work at the company’s $2.4 billion coal-fired power plant in Kemper County.

“This purification equipment enables us to be a zero liquid discharge plant,” Mississippi Power spokesman Jeff Shepard said in a news release. “The Aquatech system is the most environmentally friendly option for supplying the water needed to operate the plant.”

Mississippi Power has an existing, long-term renewable contract to purchase treated effluent -- or gray water -- from the city of Meridian. The effluent will be piped to the plant from two Meridian water treatment facilities, collected in a reservoir and then treated through the purification system.

The plant requires about 7 million gallons of water per day.

“This contract is good for the city because it will save them on water treatment costs while providing additional revenue, and it’s good for us because we need the most economical source of water,” Shepard said. “Because of this purification system, we can use water that has no other use.”

The plant will also collect rainwater as a secondary source of cooling water, which will also be purified before it is used in the plant.

Patrick Randall, a sales director for Aquatech, said Mississippi Power’s goal “matches Aquatech’s approach and proven success in providing reliable, cost-effective, environmentally focused water treatment solutions for our clients in the power industry as well as other industries around the globe.”

Mississippi Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, serves approximately 185,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties.