MOROCCO –  Morocco’s secretary of state for water, Charafate Afailal, has said that seawater desalination is the “only recourse” to reduce the national water deficit for domestic, industrial, and agricultural purposes.^[1]  In Casablanca, officials are finalizing their plans for a desalination facility that will serve the city and the greater Casablanca-Settat region. 

By 2030, according to one estimate, Morocco will need to desalinate 425 million cubic metres of water per day to ensure supply.^[2]  The country is currently implementing its Water Security Law to establish both the rights and responsibilities of water users and to protect scarce water resources.^[3]

CHILE –  A consortium consisting of Mitsuit & Co. and Grupo Cobra is deliberating the construction of an $800 million desalination plant with the world’s biggest mining house, BHP Billiton Plc.  The plant would be located at BHP’s Spence copper mine in Chile and advance the contracting process for a planned $2.5 billion expansion.^[4] 

These talks come at a time when desalination is booming in Chile and mining companies are seeking to reactivate their investments.^[5]  Miners have increasingly turned to the Pacific to enable their lucrative and water-intensive industry to operate without straining local communities.

 ^{Kastellorizo Harbour   Credit: Conde Nast Traveller}

GREECE –  The remote Mediterranean island of Kastellorizo will soon become home to an 870,000-Euro desalination facility.^[6]  Until now, the island’s 500 residents have relied on water being sent in via boat.  Construction is set to begin later this year, and when complete, the plant will produce a minimum of 40,000 cubic metres of water per year.^[7]

U.S. –  GE is set to retrofit Florida’s Lake Manatee Water Treatment plant with new ultrafiltration membranes.^[8]  The facility produces 197,000 cubic metres of water per day for a population of 350,000 residents in Manatee and Sarasota counties, the cities of Palmetto and Brandenton, and several barrier islands. A set of 12 surface water membrane trains in a two-stack design will replace the existing trains, which are nearing the end of their lifecycle.^[9]

^{The Lake Manatee Water Treatment Plant in Florida    Credit: Desalination.biz}