Utilities Minister Melford Nicholas has confirmed that a second desalination facility at Barnacle Point is expected to come online by late October, adding two million imperial gallons per day to Antigua’s water production.

The new plant, part of an ongoing partnership with Seven Seas Water, is intended to strengthen the country’s resilience to drought and water scarcity. Once operational, it will help push national output toward the government’s target of 12 million gallons per day.

“I would expect that plant to start producing water by mid-to-the-end of October,” Nicholas said, adding that the project is progressing steadily and forms a key part of the broader water infrastructure upgrade.

Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) recently passed a daily production milestone of over nine million gallons, but gaps in delivery persist due to aging infrastructure and high elevation challenges in some communities.

In response, the government is complementing the increase in production with a series of upgrades, including the restoration of the Buckleys reservoir and the construction of a new 500,000-gallon tank in New Winthorpes. A new SCADA system is also being rolled out to enable real-time monitoring of pressure and flow across the network.

Officials say the Barnacle Point expansion will relieve pressure on other desalination plants and support more consistent water access across the island.