Cebu-based Vivant Water has begun ramping deliveries from the Philippines' first utility-scale desalination facility in Cordova, Mactan, as the Metropolitan Cebu Water District works to absorb the plant's full 20 million liters per day output, SunStar Publishing Inc. reported on 2026-09-09 (SunStar Publishing Inc.). The Cordova plant, operated by subsidiary Isla Mactan-Cordova Corp., tested and commissioned through 2025 and started supply in July 2026, with Vivant Water holding a 25-year joint-venture agreement signed in 2025 to sell bulk water to MCWD (SunStar Publishing Inc.).
Key takeaways
- MCWD supplies about 250 million liters per day against demand estimated at 500-600 million liters per day, a gap of more than 200 million liters per day (SunStar Publishing Inc.).
- Vivant Water's Cordova facility can produce up to 20 million liters of potable water per day and began supply in July 2026 under a 25-year joint venture with MCWD (SunStar Publishing Inc.).
- Initial flows were about five million liters per day while MCWD upgrades its distribution network to accept the plant's full capacity (SunStar Publishing Inc.).
- Vivant Water invested P2 billion in the Cordova desalination plant, the country's first utility-scale seawater facility (SunStar Publishing Inc.).
- Vivant Water's broader portfolio also includes wastewater operations in Puerto Princesa, with Garcia signalling Cebu will eventually need a comparable wastewater approach (SunStar Publishing Inc.).
What happened: Cordova ramps against a 200 MLD deficit
Vivant Water president Atty. Jess Anthony Garcia framed the Cordova plant as a "security plant" that can deliver when cheaper, rainfall-fed sources fall short, telling SunStar Publishing Inc. on 2026-09-09: "It will address water security in times of scarcity and it won't be affected by the climate" (SunStar Publishing Inc.). The plant, with a reported P2 billion price tag, was put through testing and commissioning through 2025 and began commercial supply in July 2026 under a 25-year joint-venture agreement with MCWD (SunStar Publishing Inc.).
Initial deliveries are about five million liters per day as MCWD's current administration works on leak repair, meter upgrades and network reinforcement so the system can accept the plant's full 20 million liters per day (SunStar Publishing Inc.). Garcia said the plant is ready to operate at full capacity once those network works are completed (SunStar Publishing Inc.).
What it means: diversification, cost and regulatory gaps
Garcia told SunStar Publishing Inc. that desalination is one element of a water-security mix that also includes groundwater, surface water, dams, catchments, recycling and wastewater treatment, not a stand-alone fix (SunStar Publishing Inc.). He argued desalination can be deployed faster and on a smaller footprint than long-lead reservoir projects, making it useful for a fast-growing metro where supply gaps cannot wait (SunStar Publishing Inc.).
On cost, Garcia put desalinated water at about P73 per cubic meter and said the right comparison is what households and businesses already spend on bottled or tanked water (SunStar Publishing Inc.). He also pointed to a regulatory gap: water has no single national regulator comparable to the Energy Regulatory Commission, an issue he said is holding back private capital (SunStar Publishing Inc.).
| Item | Reported figure |
|---|---|
| MCWD current supply | ~250 million liters per day (SunStar Publishing Inc.) |
| Metro Cebu estimated demand | 500-600 million liters per day (SunStar Publishing Inc.) |
| Cordova plant design capacity | up to 20 million liters per day (SunStar Publishing Inc.) |
| Initial flow to MCWD | ~5 million liters per day (SunStar Publishing Inc.) |
| Desalinated water cost | ~P73 per cubic meter (SunStar Publishing Inc.) |
| Capital invested | P2 billion (SunStar Publishing Inc.) |
Specification read
The headline number for plant managers is the Cordova facility's 20 million liters per day nameplate, or 20,000 m³/day, with current throughput of about 5,000 m³/day pending MCWD distribution upgrades (SunStar Publishing Inc.). At a typical drinking-water per-capita demand of around 150-200 L/day (general industry range, not from the sources), 20,000 m³/day serves roughly 100,000-130,000 residents, a meaningful but partial contribution to a metro shortfall reported at more than 200 million liters per day (SunStar Publishing Inc.). For an operator evaluating a similar build, the relevant treatment train on the seawater side is intake screening → multimedia or DAF pretreatment → ultrafiltration → reverse osmosis (often two-pass) → re-mineralisation and corrosion adjustment → chlorination or UV disinfection, with brine outfall handled under an environmental compliance commitment; on the wastewater side, Vivant's own Puerto Princesa presence points to biological treatment (MBR or SBR) with tertiary polishing for reuse, the same family of Water Purification and Mbr Membrane Systems assets that buyers in this class of project typically compare during procurement. This event bears on the pretreatment and membrane stages of that train, the most energy- and chemical-intensive block in any new build, and on the network-side distribution upgrades MCWD is making to receive full bulk supply (SunStar Publishing Inc.).
Recognition: if your plant is a coastal municipal system in the 15,000-30,000 m³/day band feeding a distribution network under deficit pressure like the 200+ MLD gap reported for Metro Cebu, this project is a reference point for a seawater RO build with a 25-year off-take and a reported delivered cost around P73/m³ (about USD 1.30/m³ at general-market September 2026 rates, not from the sources) — a benchmark worth carrying into vendor and financing talks.
FAQ
What is the capacity of the Cebu desalination plant Vivant Water is operating?
Up to 20 million liters per day, with initial flows to MCWD of about 5 million liters per day while the distribution network is upgraded (SunStar Publishing Inc.).
What does Vivant Water say desalinated water costs?
About P73 per cubic meter, which Garcia said is more affordable than bottled or tanked alternatives (SunStar Publishing Inc.).
How big is the gap the Cordova plant is meant to ease?
MCWD supplies about 250 million liters per day against demand estimated at 500-600 million liters per day, a shortfall of more than 200 million liters per day (SunStar Publishing Inc.).
What is the contract length between Vivant Water and MCWD?
A 25-year joint-venture agreement signed in 2025, with supply starting in July 2026 (SunStar Publishing Inc.).
