Volume 1, Pot of Gold, Chapter 660, Water Resources Are Too Scarce?

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Compared to a year ago, the presidential palace on Koro Island is much livelier. Because the silhouette of the white lacquer and marble columns resembles the White House, the magnificent subtropical garden is also one of the attractions for visitors to this area.

On the lawn in front of the courtyard, Jiang Chen could see the bodyguards in suits and sunglasses, and he could also see the tourists taking pictures.

When Jiang Chen arrived, the president's chief of staff was already waiting at the door.

He is the only one in the entire new country who does not need to make an appointment to see the president. After explaining his intentions, the chief of staff respectfully ushered him into the hall and led him to his office.

There were two people sitting on the couch in the office.

One of them was naturally Zhang Yaping, and the white man Jiang Chen looked a little embarrassed.

Seeing Jiang Chen come in, the two stood up, and in line with the principle of the priority of the Venerable, Zhang Yaping introduced Jiang Chen first.

"This is Jiang Chen, the chairman of our Xinguo's star enterprise Future People Group, you should have heard of it. ”

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jiang Chen. Dressed in a black suit, the beard on the side of his mouth was cleanly shaved, and Smith politely stretched out his hand to Jiang Chen.

This is the representative of the American Matrix Desalination Company, Lud Smith. Then, Zhang Yaping introduced Mr. Smith to Jiang Chen with a smile.

"Hello, Mr. Smith, it's also a pleasure to meet you. ”

After shaking hands with him, Jiang Chen smiled and nodded, and then took a seat, turning his inquiring gaze to President Zhang Yaping.

Sensing the inquiry in his gaze, Zhang Yaping immediately smiled and said.

"Well, we are currently planning to build a desalination plant in the new country, so we brought in the American Matrix Desalination Company and asked them to do an engineering assessment for us on Koro Island. ”

"Is there not enough fresh water on the island?" Jiang Chen asked unexpectedly.

"Not only is it not enough, but the new country has been relying on Australian imports of fresh water for the time being. Smith teased and took out a stack of papers from his briefcase, "This article is the distribution of groundwater on the island, and this is the location of the water treatment plant." ”

Jiang Chen has no idea how much water and electricity bills he has to pay for his villa every month. He didn't bother to read thousands of bills at all, not to mention that he was always running towards the end of the world. It wasn't until Zhang Yaping mentioned this that he realized the problem.

Before the 20th century, Koro was rich in underground freshwater resources. But. As global warming rises, sea levels wash over the island's roads and houses, causing them to backflow and pollute the groundwater. The freshwater resources on the outskirts of the island are no longer there, and the island has to rely on the only remaining groundwater in the center of the island, as well as the small freshwater lake on the neighbouring island of Garin.

With the abundant rainfall in the tropics, the new country's freshwater resources were sufficient, but with the increase in immigration and the surge in tourism, the water supply system, which could only supply 50,000 people, has to supply water to 150,000 people. In order to avoid paying for the high price of water, many tourists even travel with backpacks full of mineral water.

However, the locals are miserable, and they can't even buy fresh water on Amazon.

Including workers who have not yet obtained citizenship, the population of the new country has now grown to 50,000.

It is generally believed. In a well-equipped large city, 400 kilograms of fresh water per person per day are consumed, which means that the new country needs 20,000 tons of water per day for normal domestic use. According to statistics, about 1%-2% of the normal urban water supply is used for drinking, so at least 200-400 tons of fresh water per day are needed to maintain the drinking water needs of the residents of the new country.

Bathing can be saved, but drinking water can't!

Fortunately, the government of the new country has the money, and signed a water supply contract with the Australian Water Industry Company, a contract for the supply of 12,000 tons of fresh water per day, to ease the pressure on domestic water supply. However, the high cost of freight dooms the import of fresh water to be a long-term solution.

The new parliament voted to decide. Tenders are being prepared for the construction of desalination plants on Koro Island to curb high water prices.

before popular discontent turns into protests.

Jiang Chen casually flipped through the following jiàn, and Zhang Yaping continued beside him.

"We're going to leave the desalination plant to you. If the Future People Group is not interested, we can also find another way. ”

"Why don't you leave it to the waterworks?" Jiang Chen asked casually.

In Jiang Chen's impression. The Australian company City-West-Wate, or CWW Group, is responsible for the maintenance of fresh water supply and water pipelines in the Panu Islands. For the market of fresh water supply, Jiang Chen really has no interest.

Even if it is expensive at a sky-high price of five dollars a ton of water, monopolizing the freshwater business of the entire new country, the monthly net profit of this desalination plant is only 500,000 US dollars.

The annual revenue is only 6 million, which is compared with the income of the Future People Group in the fields of Internet, food, machine industry, automobile industry, medical and other fields. It's not even a small profit.

"CWW Group believes that our market is completely insufficient to support a desalination plant, and does not pay attention to our tender papers. Other small companies do not have the ability to accept bids. If not, the parliament is discussing the desalination project as a social welfare project, which will be run by the government like a public school. Zhang Yaping smiled bitterly.

Continue to subsidize the financial subsidy for freshwater, even if the new government has money, it can't afford it.

"What is your opinion?" Jiang Chen looked at Smith.

Smith smiled slightly, took the text in Jiang Chen's hand, and turned to a page with color pictures.

"In the case of the Panu Islands, our company recommended this integrated desalination unit using the LT-MED principle in the text. The entire desalination production line can process up to 35,000 tons per day, and the treatment cost is 1.6 US dollars per ton, which can perfectly solve the water supply crisis that the new country is currently facing. ”

"What about the price?"

"Including the construction of the treatment plant, the offer on our side is $150 million. ”

"It's too expensive. Zhang Yaping shook his head and said.

Even without equipment maintenance costs, the freshwater treatment plant would ideally take more than 30 years to recoup its investment. Although it is not bad money, Jiang Chen has no reason to take on a deal that is destined to lose money.

Smith smiled helplessly.

"Desalination is a long-term investment. Believe me, a one-time investment is definitely more cost-effective than importing fresh water for a long time. ”

"Can't it be cheaper?"

"This is the market price. Smith said in an uncompromising tone, "The desalination equipment designed by our Matrix Desalination Company for the Maldives, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and other countries is much more expensive than the desalination equipment sold to you. ”

To be honest, after talking about this for so many days, Smith is also a little impatient.

Negotiations have been going on for so long, and yet there has been no progress at all. The new government wants to engage in desalination, but it does not want to pay for it itself. The largest water supplier, the CWW Group, shut him up again, making him feel like he was wasting his time.

The company urged him to solve the matter here and take his team to Saudi Arabia. There's another $1 billion worth of cooperation projects with the Saudi Desalination Corporation waiting for him.

At this time, Jiang Chen suddenly spoke.

"Wait, what do you mean...... The market price of desalination equipment is very expensive?"

"Otherwise? Do you think desalination is just a stove to boil water? I recommend you try it. ”

Dropping this unceremonious remark, Smith stood up, left a business card on the table, and looked at Zhang Yaping.

"It's a pity, Mr. President, that we couldn't reach a cooperation agreement and that my team and I have wasted a week on the island. As for the cost of geological assessment and site selection of water treatment plants, we can only settle them separately. The bill will be sent to the Presidential Palace in seven days, so if you and your think tank are sure to discuss it, please contact us at that time. I'll have another flight in two hours, see you soon. ”

With that, Smith picked up his briefcase and walked away without looking back.

Zhang Yaping wanted to stay, but he was stopped by Jiang Chen.

"Let him go, I'm not uncommon to work with them. Jiang Chen said with a smile.

"Hey, if you really can't do it, you still have to get this money, and you can't always import fresh water from abroad...... Wait, what are you talking about? Are you going to get involved in the freshwater business?" Zhang Yaping suddenly came back to his senses and looked at Jiang Chen in surprise.

If the Future People Group were going to take over the project, he would have nothing to worry about!

"Originally, I didn't have this plan," Jiang Chen said unceremoniously, and then smiled again, "But listening to him, the market size of this desalination seems to be a bit big." ”

It was really a mistake, his eyes were only on the new country, Jiang Chen almost forgot that there is not only one country in the world that is short of water, but there is more than a new country! Those big oil countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are all masters where water is more expensive than gold.

Let's not talk about the far, let's talk about the near. Why is China engaged in the south-to-north water diversion project, which costs so much money? Is it not because there is a shortage of water in the north? If more than a dozen freshwater treatment plants can be built along the Bohai Sea coast, will the south-to-north water diversion project still be used?

Is seawater desalination technology a problem in the 22 nd century? What reverse osmosis method, low-temperature multi-effect method, and electrodialysis method are simply weak!

It's really blind, and I almost didn't even pick up the banknotes at my feet.

Thinking of this, Jiang Chen couldn't sit still at the moment, and stood up with a pat on his thigh.

Hmph, I'm sorry, Matrix Desalination Company, right? From now on, you have competitors!

Seeing that Jiang Chen was planning to leave, Zhang Yaping couldn't help but ask anxiously.

"You're going?"

He didn't stop Smith from leaving just now, but now that Jiang Chen was going to leave without saying a word, he couldn't help but be a little anxious.

Someone has to solve this freshwater problem!

Stopped, Jiang Chen turned around and smiled at him.

"Go talk to CWW. I just suddenly remembered that the seawater desalination equipment seems to be able to be done by the future people. ”

Hearing Jiang Chen's "it seems to be", Zhang Yaping almost vomited blood out of breath, and complained to Jiang Chen fiercely in his heart.

Hold the grass!Your sister, you should have said it earlier! )