OMAN – Earlier this week Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) signed an agreement for the construction of a $155.8 million desalination plant at Salalah. The consortium contracted for the project is comprised of ACWA Power Saudi Arabia, Veolia Middle East and Dhofar International Development and Investment Holding Company.^[1]

The plant will have a production capacity of 113,650 m³/day and will be built in the Ashur Plain in the Wilayat of Mirbat in Dhofar Governorate. The plant is expected to be operational by 2020. ACWA Power holds a stake of 50.1 percent in the project, Veolia Middle East has 35 percent and Dhofar Internal Development and Investment Holding 14.9 percent.

ISRAEL – Energy and Water Minister Yval Steinitz has announced plans to build two new desalination plants. ^[2] No information was disclosed on the price or capacity of the new plants, but similar facilities in the country have cost approximately $400 million.

For the past five years Israel has suffered a prolonged drought. The planned desalination projects will help tackle this water scarcity and reinforce the five coastal desalination plants that have been built in the past 13 years. Steinitz said that the plan will be brought forward to the government for approval in the coming weeks.  

CHILE – BHP Billiton has inaugurated a second desalination plant at its Escondida mine in Chile as part of its plans to and it's reliance on fresh water supplies in the country by 2030. The $3,430 million plant will provide 215,000 m³/day of desalinated water for mining activities and reduce the site’s dependence on aquifers.^[3]   The new plant will supplement the company’s 45,000 m³/day facility, which has been in operation for twelve years. Minera Escondida is located 170 km southeast of Antofagasta, at 3,100 metres above sea level.

  ^{Minera Escondida, Chile Credit: Rio Tinto}

KENYA – Governor Hassan Joho of Mombasa County visited Madrid and met with Spanish officials to discuss opportunities and support for seawater desalination (from the Indian Ocean) to supply Mombasa. As part of a global tour to attract investment, Governor Joho also attended the Global Water Summit in Paris.^[4]