ST. JOHN'S, Antigua--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 25, 2025--
The Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) and Seven Seas Water Group (SSWG), a multinational provider of Water-as-a-Service ® (WaaS ® ), have jointly announced the opening of the Ffryes Beach seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant. The plant has a capacity of 1 million imperial gallons per day (IMGD) and will serve the surrounding areas. It is located adjacent to APUA’s existing facility at Ffryes Beach.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250325978847/en/
This is the first of two SWRO plants that APUA and SSWG announced as part of their WaaS ® agreement in March 2024. Once completed, the plant will produce up to 3 million IMGD of drinking water daily for the people of Antigua. The second plant will be located next to APUA’s existing Ivan Rodriguez facility and is expected to begin water production in the third quarter of this year. These plants will ensure a guaranteed supply of high-quality drinking water for Antigua for the next 12 years.
The Honourable Melford Nicholas, Minister of Information, Communication Technologies (ICTs), Utilities, and Energy, highlighted the importance of this achievement, stating: "I am highly impressed by the speed at which the teams from APUA and SSWG have worked to bring this plant online in just 10 months after contract signing. This additional volume will be critical for Antigua, marking the beginning of our ambitious efforts to provide reliable water island-wide. My sincere thanks to the teams at APUA and SSWG."
APUA General Manager John Bradshaw expressed his enthusiasm, saying: "With growing demand from tourism, cruise ships, and residents, I am thrilled to expand our capacity for high-quality, reliable drinking water. The Water-as-a-Service ® model aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver affordable, safe and dependable water while enabling rapid expansion. Thanks to everyone involved, and I look forward to continuing this journey."
Henry Charrabé, CEO of Seven Seas Water Group, emphasized the strong collaboration with the Government of Antigua and APUA, stating:
"We are honored to support Minister Nicholas and APUA’s commitment to expanding and improving local water infrastructure. Delivering this plant in less than a year underscores our ability to deploy water solutions quickly and efficiently. We look forward to further strengthening our presence in the region and continuing to provide sustainable, long-term Water-as-a-Service ® solutions for the people of Antigua."
About Seven Seas Water Group
Headquartered in Tampa, with operations across the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America, Seven Seas Water Group (SSWG) delivers annually over 20 billion gallons of water to industrial, commercial, governmental, municipal, and hospitality customers. SSWG designs, builds, owns and operates, delivers new facilities, or acquires and upgrades existing facilities, with the goal of optimizing project risk transfer between the public and private sectors. With an outstanding reputation for decentralized water and wastewater treatment solutions, the SSWG “Water-as-a-Service ® ” approach seeks to help solve global water and wastewater infrastructure challenges.
About APUA
The Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) was founded on July 4th, 1973, in accordance with the Public Utility Act. APUA functions as a three-part organization, delivering Electricity, Telecommunications, and Water services to the residents of Antigua and Barbuda, ensuring they meet reliable, affordable, and internationally recognized quality standards.
Left to right: John Bradshaw, General Manager APUA, Hon. Melford Nicholas, Minister of Public Utilities, H.E. Sir Rodney Williams, Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda, Erik Arfalk, SVP Business Development SSWG, Tabitha Snowbarger, Antigua and Barbuda Country Officer, U.S. Embassy, John Maginley, SSWG Local Business Advisor, Dan Kennedy, Chief Operating Officer SSWG
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.
Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.
Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”
Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”
He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”
Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.
More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.
In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.
Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”
Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.
“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.
The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.
The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.
Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.
In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)
