Five ways to buy a water plant, and what each one really means
Project delivery models decide who carries the risk, who runs the plant and whose balance sheet it sits on. They also change how the plant gets designed.
Project delivery models change the plant itself
Most contractors treat project delivery models as a commercial detail settled after the technical work. They are not. They change what gets designed.
A plant we hand over is optimised for capital cost. A plant we will operate for twenty years is optimised for what it costs to run, because we are the ones paying.
That is worth knowing before you choose. The same technology, contracted two different ways, produces two different plants.
Who absorbs the cost of a design decision
A cheaper evaporator is a saving for whoever hands the plant over, and a bill for whoever runs it.
Every design choice on a water plant splits into capital and operating cost. Where the contract puts that boundary decides which way the choices fall. The client rarely sees the trade being made.
We operate eighteen of the plants we built. That is not a marketing position. It is why our designs look the way they do, and why we prefer scopes that include operation.
Five project delivery models, and what was built under each
Every project on this site is listed under one of these.
EPC — Engineering, procurement and construction
We carry process design, detailed engineering, equipment supply, construction and commissioning. The plant is handed over meeting its guarantees, and the client operates it.
Who it suits. Suits an owner with a capable operating team who wants one party accountable for delivery but intends to run the plant themselves.
6 projects delivered under this model, shown below. Filter the full list.
Huineng Coal-to-Gas, 1.6 bcm/a
Ordos, Inner Mongolia · Built 2018 & 2020 · Operating since 2020 and 2023
Ningxia Baofeng, olefins and methanol
Lingwu, Ningxia · Built 2019 · Operating since 2022
Yidong Donghua Methanol, 600 kt/a
Ordos, Inner Mongolia · Built 2019 · Operating since 2022
Baijiahaizi Mine Water and Sewage
Wushen Banner, Ordos · Built 2022 · Operating since 2023
PetroChina Dushanzi Tarim Ethylene, 1.2 Mt/a
Bayingolin, Xinjiang · Started 2024 · In commissioning
Shanghai Waste-to-Energy Fly Ash Recovery
Shanghai · Started 2026
EPC + O — Engineering, procurement, construction and operation
Everything in EPC, plus we run the plant afterwards under a long-term operating contract. Most of our coal chemical and mining projects use it.
Who it suits. Suits an owner who wants the party that designed the plant to live with its decisions. Our longest-running references were built this way.
10 projects delivered under this model, shown below. Filter the full list.
Yitai Fine Chemicals, 1.2 Mt/a
Ordos, Inner Mongolia · Built 2015–2017 · Operating since 2018
Yitai CTL, 160 kt/a
Ordos, Inner Mongolia · Built 2019 · Operating since 2021
Yitai Ili Energy CTL, 1 Mt/a
Ili, Xinjiang · Started 2025
Shanxi Minguang Coking, 1.56 Mt/a
Linfen, Shanxi · Built 2023 · Operating since 2024
Shanxi Coking, brine salt recovery
Linfen, Shanxi · Built 2021 · Operating since 2022
Tangjiahui Mine Water
Tangjiahui Mine, Ordos · Built 2023 · Operating since 2025
Sunjiacha Longhua Mine Drainage
Shenmu, Shaanxi · Built 2023 · Operating since 2024
Jinchuan Group, Nickel and Cobalt Smelting
Jinchang, Gansu · Built 2025 · Operating since 2025
Anhui Huaibei Chemical Base
Huaibei, Anhui · Operating
Mengsu Economic Development Zone (serving LONGi)
Ordos, Inner Mongolia · Operating
EP / equipment — Process package and core equipment supply
We supply the process package, the core equipment and the engineering behind it, and support installation and commissioning. Civil works are handled by others.
Who it suits. Suits an owner with their own EPC contractor, who needs the salt separation or concentrate reduction technology rather than a whole plant.
5 projects delivered under this model, shown below. Filter the full list.
Zhongtian Green Steel, Central Water Plant
Nantong, Jiangsu · Built 2020 · Operating since 2022
Dongming Petrochemical Jieyuan, Phase II
Heze, Shandong · Built 2021 · Operating since 2023
Linggu Chemical, ammonia and urea
Yixing, Jiangsu · Built 2020 · Operating since 2022
Luoyang Jianlong Micronano, molecular sieve park
Luoyang, Henan · Built 2021 · Operating since 2022
Yinchuan Suyin Industrial Park, water reuse
Yinchuan, Ningxia · Started 2023 · Startup 2025
BOO / BOT — Build, own and operate, or build, operate and transfer
We invest in the plant, build it, own it and operate it for a contracted term. Treated water and recovered product are sold back to the site. Terms run to twenty years.
Who it suits. Suits an owner who would rather buy an outcome than a capital asset, and who wants the water system off their balance sheet.
2 projects delivered under this model, shown below. Filter the full list.
Lanhua Coal Chemical, energy and environmental upgrade
Jincheng, Shanxi · Started 2025
Hongqinghe Mine Water (Yitai Guanglian)
Ordos, Inner Mongolia · Operating since 2020
O&M only — Operation and maintenance of an existing plant
We take over an existing plant. Equipment maintenance, chemicals, water quality, sludge and hazardous waste, staffing, records and environmental compliance.
Who it suits. Suits an owner whose plant is built but underperforming, or who would rather not keep a specialist water team in-house.
1 project delivered under this model, shown below. Filter the full list.
Huaneng Hetaoyu Coal Mine Water Stations
Zhengning, Gansu · From 2024 · Contract to 2027
Frequently asked questions
Which delivery model should I choose?
It depends on whether you want a capital asset or an outcome, and whether you have an operating team. Running it yourself points to EPC. Wanting the designer to live with the design points to EPC plus operation. Not wanting to own it at all points to BOO.
Do you insist on carrying the whole scope?
No. We prefer full scope, because that is where a performance guarantee means something. Process package and equipment supply is normal work, and several projects on this site were delivered that way.
What does a BOO contract look like in practice?
We invest, build, own and operate the plant for a contracted term. The site buys treated water and, where relevant, recovered product. Our Lanhua contract runs for twenty years, and Hongqinghe is a JINGYU-owned asset.
Can you take over a plant somebody else built?
Yes. Our Hetaoyu contract covers three existing stations under full outsourced operation. That includes equipment, chemicals, water quality, sludge and hazardous waste, staffing and compliance.
Does the model change the technology?
Not the technology, but it changes the design. A plant we will operate for twenty years gets different choices from one we hand over, because we absorb the operating cost.
Can the model change during a project?
Frequently it does. Several of our EPC projects added an operating contract after handover, once the client had seen the plant run.
Tell us what you want to own
Start here
Whether you want an asset, an outcome or just the technology changes what we propose. Tell us which, and send the water analysis with it.
Useful to include
- Whether you have an operating team on site
- New plant, retrofit, or a plant that underperforms
- Whether the asset needs to stay off your balance sheet
- Flow rate, TDS and ion balance
- Your target date for startup
Contact us directly
- info@jing-yu.com
- Phone
- +86 21 6593 0816
- Office hours
- Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 Shanghai time (GMT+8)