PORTUGAL – Águas do Algarve has launched a $97 million tender for a desalination plant in Albufeira, doubling the initial cost estimates. The plant aims to convert seawater into drinking and irrigation water at an initial rate of 43,835 m³/d, but will have a production capacity of 65,753 m³/d upon completion by the end of 2026. Despite public opposition, the government remains committed to the project, citing it as a solution to the region's water scarcity. (Portugal Resident)

SAUDI ARABIA – The Saline Water Conversion Corporation...

SPAIN – The Marbella seawater desalination plant, initially plagued with construction issues and financial controversies, now serves as a critical water source for the western Costa del Sol, providing half of its water needs amid a severe drought situation. The plant's capacity is set to double in the spring to 32,877 m³/d and potentially triple to 54,794 m³/d by the end of the year, significantly alleviating water scarcity in the region. Plans for expansion involve upgrading filtration systems and potentially adding portable or fixed...

TUNISIA – Tunisia's Zarat desalination plant in Gabes governorate is set to be operational by the end of January 2024, according to Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Fisheries Abdelmonem Belati. Desalination plants are planned for Sfax, Sousse, and Djerba to manage water consumption and ensure drinking water rights, especially for future generations. The minister emphasized the importance of optimizing treated wastewater as an additional resource for irrigation. A floating station in the Sidi Saad dam basin, part of the irrigated...

U.K. – Veolia Water Technologies has been chosen to construct and supply a desalination plant for Cornwall in the UK. South West Water, the water and wastewater service provider, selected Veolia for this project, which aims to address water scarcity issues exacerbated by recent droughts in the region. The proposed desalination plant could produce up to 20,000 m³/d of water per day, meeting approximately 40% of Cornwall's current water demand. Veolia will manufacture and deliver the desalination plant, which will extract seawater from St...

SAUDI ARABIA – Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) has issued request for proposals (RFPs) for the Jubail 4 & 6 Independent Water Projects (IWP) with a combined capacity of 600,000 m³/day. The projects will utilize reverse osmosis seawater desalination technology and are expected to be operational in Q3 2027. The scope includes finance, development, operation, and maintenance of the seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant, located south of Jubail Industrial City in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Nine leading utility...

U.A.E. – Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), GS Inima, and Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) have announced the successful financial closing of the $444 million Shuweihat 4 Reverse Osmosis Seawater Desalination Project (S4 RO). The project, located within the Shuweihat Power and Water Complex, will supply up to 318,226 m³/d of potable water, enhancing water supply security in Abu Dhabi. The funding, primarily through debt financing (71%), involves local and international banks, including Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Commercial...

CHINA – The Tseung Kwan O Desalination Plant in Hong Kong is set to become operational on December 22, providing up to five percent of the territory's overall fresh water demand. The first stage of this desalination facility utilizes advanced reverse osmosis technology, offering a stable water source that is resistant to climate change. When fully operational, the plant will have a capacity of 135,000 m³/d. The plant, in conjunction with the Pak Kong Water Treatment Works and the Tseung Kwan O Primary Fresh Water Service Reservoir, will...

U.K. – South West Water (SWW) has selected Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions to deliver Cornwall's first seawater desalination plant. The project, part of a $159 million investment by SWW, includes plans for water treatment works at Restormel. The desalination process involves initial treatment at a plant based in Par, followed by a secondary treatment phase at Restormel, providing water to around 300,000 people in Cornwall. Some locals express concerns about the chosen location, citing potential impacts on wildlife, including the...

AUSTRALIA – The first stage of the Alkimos desalination plant in Western Australia is estimated to cost $2.8 billion, nearly double the $1.6 billion initially proposed in the Water Corporation's development application. Premier Roger Cook announced that the project will be fully funded from the expected 2023-24 surplus. The desalination plant's first stage, operational by 2028, aims to supply 136,986 m³/d. The total cost and completion date for the second stage, which doubles the plant's output to 273,973 m³/d, remain unconfirmed, but Water...

SPAIN – The town of Estepona, Spain is planning an expedited construction of a seawater desalination plant to address water scarcity. The "express" installation is characterized by a shortened timeline, self-sufficiency in energy, and a containerized design. The plant, designed to produce 20,000 m³/d, could be expanded to 30,000 m³/d in the future. The chosen site is at the mouth of the Castor River, around 6.2 kilometers from Estepona, covering 53,442 square meters. The project is seen as a step toward self-sufficiency, freeing up resources...

MOROCCO – Acciona has secured a contract valued at $936 million to construct the largest desalination plant in Africa, located in Casablanca, Morocco. Collaborating with two Moroccan companies, Afriquia Gaz and Green of Africa, the consortium, part of the ACWA group, will also manage and maintain the plant upon completion. The plant is designed to produce up to 548,000 m³/d, serving water needs of nearly seven million people and facilitating irrigation for over 5,000 hectares of agricultural land. The Moroccan Ministry of Equipment and...

INDIA – The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) plans to address the impending expiration of the world's largest seawater hybrid desalination plant, attached to the Kalpakkam nuclear power station, within the next four to five years. BARC aims to add two new desalination plants in Kalpakkam to meet local demands and those of the nuclear plant.  

One plant will generate 9,092 m3/day through reverse osmosis at the Nuclear Desalination Demonstration Plant (NDDP), while the other will produce 9,092 m3/day through multi-effect distillation...

OMAN – Veolia, in collaboration with partners, has launched a 17-megawatt peak (MWp) solar photovoltaic facility to power the Sharqiyah Desalination Plant in Sur, Oman, making it the largest solar system for a desalination plant in the country. The project, developed with TotalEnergies, generates over 32,000 megawatt-hours of clean electricity annually, meeting the desalination plant's energy needs during daylight hours. The facility, operational since April 16, 2023, reduces approximately 27,200 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. The project...

UKRAINE – German company Boreal Light has installed what it claims is Europe's largest solar water desalination system in Mykolaiv, southern Ukraine, with a capacity of 460 kWp. Initiated in response to the Russian attack on Ukraine, the system, with 560 W monocrystalline PV modules, can produce 3,000 m³/d of clean water. The source water has a salinity of up to 13,000 parts per million. Divided into five units for security reasons and higher project resilience, the system stores clean water instead of energy and utilizes a control mechanism...

ALGERIA – California-based company Energy Recovery is set to supply its PX pressure exchangers for seawater desalination plants in Algeria. The Algerian government aims to increase the share of desalinated water in its drinking water supply to 50% by 2030. Energy Recovery's PX pressure exchangers are expected to reduce the energy cost of desalination by up to 60%. The contract, valued at $28 million, requires the delivery of the pressure exchangers by the end of 2023, with installation planned for all of Algeria's seawater desalination...

LIBYA – The Derna seawater desalination plant in north-east Libya has resumed operations, providing a vital water supply for 320,000 people. The facility, damaged during storm Daniel in September 2023, was restored by the Arabian Gulf Oil Company (AGOCO) after a month of reconstruction work. The plant, with a daily capacity of 40,000 m3, helps mitigate the risks of waterborne diseases and malnutrition for the affected population. Cases of poisoning from unsafe water rose before the plant's restart, prompting the National Centre for Disease...

U.A.E. – The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has signed a 30-year water purchase agreement with Saudi company ACWA Power for the first phase of the Hassyan seawater desalination project using solar energy. This is part of DEWA's plan to increase its water desalination capacity from 1,854,851 m³/d to 2,763,350 m³/d by 2030, aligning with Dubai's economic expansion and the 2040 Urban Master Plan. ACWA Power was selected as the 'Preferred Bidder' for the project, which involves constructing and operating the world's largest Sea...

KENYA – GivePower, a US-based organization specializing in clean energy, has installed a solar-powered containerized water desalination system in Mshomoroni, a suburb of Mombasa County, Kenya. The system, operational for 20 years, has a capacity of 75 m³/d and treats both salty and brackish water, eliminating contaminants like salt, viruses, bacteria, and fluoride. The hydraulic system is powered by a small photovoltaic solar power plant on the container, with a battery-powered storage system for nighttime or bad weather. This is the fourth...

ALGERIA – The Corso desalination plant in the Boumerdès region of Algeria is now fully operational with a capacity of 80,000 m³/d, according to the Algerian Energy Company (AEC). The plant, situated 25 km east of Algiers, reached its full capacity six months after partial commissioning. Initially, in April 2023, it had a capacity of 40,000 m³/d. The Corso desalination plant was constructed by AEC, Société Algérienne de Génie Civil et Bâtiment (GCB), and Cosider Canalisation, aiming to address water shortages in Corso. Algiers is also...

AUSTRALIA – The Metro Outer Joint Development Assessment Panel has unanimously approved the Water Corporation's $1.6 billion desalination plant in Alkimos, marking a significant step toward securing Perth's water supply. The Alkimos plant will be on Water Corp’s 218 ha site next to the Alkimos Wastewater Treatment Plant in the future Alkimos Water Precinct. The project, the first desalination facility in Perth's northern corridor, aims to address the impact of climate change on traditional water sources. Perth's dams have experienced an 83%...

AUSTRALIA – The proposed desalination site at Billy Lights Point in Port Lincoln, South Australia, faces controversy as scientists dispute research supporting its suitability. The South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) produced a report for SA Water, endorsing Billy Lights Point as the best location for a desalination plant without impacting the marine environment. Despite government support for the findings, industry pushback and community protests have raised concerns. Critics argue that SARDI's modeling is flawed,...

SAUDI ARABIA – The 45.5-megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) station at the Jubail 3A Independent Water Plant has been successfully integrated into the grid. Supplied by China's Trina Solar, the solar power plant, featuring Vertex N 700W+ series modules, was connected to the grid by contractor SEPCOIII. This solar PV station is designed to meet 20 percent of the desalination plant's daily power needs and is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 60,000 tonnes annually. The Jubail 3A Independent Water Plant, with a capacity of 600,000 m³/d, is a...

MOROCCO – Morocco's government and OCP Group have initiated a seawater desalination project to provide Safi, El Jadida, and neighboring regions with drinkable water. The Safi desalination plant, outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding signed on July 5, has commenced operations with a goal of producing approximately 27,397 m³/d. The project, led by OCP Green Water, aims to ensure a sustainable water supply in the face of climate change. The agreement also secures an annual supply of 35 million cubic meters for industrial use by the OCP...

SAUDI ARABIA – Saudi Arabia's National Water Company (NWC) has initiated 12 major desalination projects valued at over $1.3 billion in strategic areas such as Dammam, Al Khobar, Jubail, Al Ahsa, and Qatif. The projects include the construction of 40 water tanks with a total capacity of 1.6 million cubic meters, pumping stations, and 493 kilometers of strategic pipeline networks. The gradual implementation aims to ensure uninterrupted 24/7 water supply to residents. NWC has completed work on 11 tanks in Dammam, with eight additional tanks...

U.A.E. – GS Engineering & Construction subsidiary GS Inima has secured the Shuweihat S4 Reverse Osmosis Independent Water Project in the UAE, valued at approximately $772 million. This project, located about 250 km west of Abu Dhabi, involves adding a desalination facility with a daily capacity of about 320,000 cubic meters to an existing desalination plant complex. The project will follow the Build-Own-Operate (BOO) format, with GS Inima handling project financing and Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC). After completion,...

MOROCCO – Russian company Rosatom and Moroccan firm Water and Energy Solutions have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on water desalination, conditioning, and purification projects. The agreement, signed during the second Russia-Africa Summit and Economic Forum, will see Rosatom's subsidiary Rusatom Smart Utilities work on the development projects in Morocco. Morocco, which has been facing drought for several years, has committed $37.6 billion over 30 years to strengthen its water supply infrastructure. (Atalayar)

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U.S.A. – The US Department of Energy (DOE) is investing nearly $10 million in seven projects that aim to accelerate the development and testing of marine energy technologies. These projects are part of DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office’s Powering the Blue Economy Initiative, which focuses on advancing solutions for low-cost, emission-free, and drought-resistant drinking water. Among the supported projects are ones focused on wave-powered desalination systems, including those led by Oneka Technologies, Sea Potential, Water Bros...

CHILE – Chilean fishermen have taken legal action to halt the Aconcagua Desalination Plant project on the central coast, expressing concerns that the plant's operations might pollute their working waters. The $1 billion water desalination plant near Quintero aims to supply fresh water to mining companies and local residents in the central region. The project is progressing in an area known as a "sacrifice zone," where residents face high pollution levels from decades of unchecked industrial development. Fishermen's unions fear the...

SAUDI ARABIA – ACWA Power, along with Haji Abdullah Alireza & Co (HAACO) and Al Moayyed Contracting Group (AMCG), has signed an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract with a consortium of Power China, SEPCOIII, and WETICO for the Rabigh 4 Independent Water Plant (IWP) project in Saudi Arabia. The Rabigh 4 IWP, with a total project cost of $677 million, will have a capacity of 600,000 m³/day and will mainly serve the Makkah and Madinah regions. ACWA Power currently operates the Rabigh 3 IWP in the same area and, with...

ALGERIA – Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune laid foundation stones for two seawater desalination plants, Cap Djinet and Fouka 2, in Boumerdès and Tipaza, implemented by Algeria Energy Company (AEC). The plants, constructed on 16 and 7-hectare sites, will be equipped with ten seawater desalination units based on reverse osmosis principles by the national civil engineering and construction company (GCB) and the national company for major well works (GTP), supervised by AEC subsidiary Miah Cap Djinet. Cap Djinet, with a capacity of...