IRAN – Construction of the largest water desalination facility in Iran is now complete. Located in Bandar Abbas, the plant was launched earlier this month in the presence of First Vice President Jahangiri. The facility was funded by the private sector at a cost of $204 million. It will have an initial production capacity of 20,000 m³/d during phase one, and eventually produce 100,000 m³/d.^[1]

EGYPT – The Egyptian government has signed an agreement with the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) to receive $50 million for the construction of four desalination facilities in South Sinai. The project consists of a 30,000 m³/d plant and 5,000 m³/d plant at Sharm el-Sheikh; a 15,000 m³/d facility in Abu Redis; a 6,000 m³/d unit at Nabq; and 5,000 m³/d unit at Taba. Completion of the project is expected by the end of 2022. Another contract was signed for an additional $85 million loan provided by the KFAED to the Egyptian government to be utilized for development works.^[2]

CHILE – Energy Recovery has been awarded a $2.7 million contract to supply its PX Pressure Exchanger Technology for multiple water desalination projects in Chile. Energy Recovery estimates that the facilities’ power consumption will be reduced by 12.7 MW—saving 110 GWh of energy per year and avoiding 65,740 tons of CO2 emissions per year. Shipment is expected in the fourth quarter of 2018.^[3]

PERU – Last week, Fluence Corporation revealed it has secured an agreement to design, build, and operate a desalination plant in central Peru. The agreement includes a 10-year Water Purchase Agreement (WPA) with an industrial client. Initially, five NIROBOX Smart Packaged units will be used in the plant, which are expected to be shipped by the end of 2018.  Eventually, the plant is expected to expand to NIROBOX units.

The plant will cost $8.4 million to build and will supply 3,013 m³/d for the WPA client.  Fluence is expecting the initial WPA to generate $1.7 million annual revenue. Negotiations for additional customers are currently ongoing and if secured annual revenues could increase up to a total of $5 million.  The plant is projected to be operational by the end of the second quarter of 2019.^[4]

^{NIROBOX’s containerised seawater desalination units.  Credit: thesourcemagazine.org}

ITALY – Italmatch Chemicals, a global specialty chemical group, announced recently that it has signed a contract to acquire BWA Water Additives, a global provider of sustainable water management solutions for desalination industries. The deal serves Italmatch Chemical’s objective to expand its current production and marketing capabilities for water management chemicals. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2019 and will be financed through debt and Italmatch equity.^[5]

INDIA –Moderate rain has recently supplied water to the drying reservoirs that serve the city of Chennai. Metrowater, the utility that manages Chennai’s watery supply, is hoping that storage levels will continue to improve as weather forecasts predict more rain later this month.

Metrowater supplies drinking water to the city at a rate of 650,000 m³/d. Desalination plants provide 200,000 m³/d of this water supply; and another 200,000 m³/d of the daily total is sourced from the Red Hills, Poondi, and Cholavaram reservoirs. Two prop^{osed desalination plants—one with a capacity of 400,000 m3/d and another with 150,000 m3/d—would further reduce Chennai’s dependence on these reservoirs.[6]}