In October 2020, Chennai Metro Water invited international bidders to build a 400 MLD (400,000 m³/day) seawater reverse osmosis plant at Perur on the East Coast Road in Kancheepuram district. The state government had granted administrative sanction of 6,078.4 crore rupees, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was to provide financial assistance. It was the water board's fourth desalination plant. According to The New Indian Express, demand in the expanded city area was about 1,100 MLD against a supply of 831 MLD. Operation by 2024 was considered possible.
The tender shows that Chennai intended to close the gap between demand and supply mainly with another large desalination plant, complemented by the reuse of treated grey water.
Source: The New Indian Express