Water. desalination + reuse

INTERVIEW the potential for further improvements that are inherent in RO. In the near future, it will be impossible to disregard the huge installed thermal desalination capacity worldwide. The commercial lifetime of a desalination plant can be very long ��� from 20 to 40 years, particularly for a thermal plant and many of them are still at the early operating stage. This highlights the concept that the planning of a desalination project is an extremely delicate process, particularly when technology is developing rapidly. The emphasis here is on predicting the right technical solution for such long lifecycle in a fast technological development scenario and being able to retrofit clever optimization concepts to make the existing units operate more efficiently. Are there any new directions in which you would like to steer IDA? The vision for my presidency is based on the theme of contributing to the development of the desalination industry, and hence contributing to the positive development of the environment and society in which we live and operate. I firmly believe in this, and I believe that we, as desalters, have a lot to give. One key aspect is to maintain a continued effort to encourage technological innovation and strive to further enhance energy efficiency and environmental stewardship. Innovation is the solution we have today to achieve our goals tomorrow, once we set our goals correctly. These goals, I emphasize, relate to improving energy, environment and lifecycle cost. In my opinion, these are the targets that innovation must follow. To this effect, I believe that IDA���s participation in the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille this March is very important. In this event, IDA will not only host a session on desalination. In fact, we will launch a global Energy Task Force and will have the commitment of many important industry stakeholders to achieve a 20% energy reduction in desalination by 2015. Of course, we already have several important initiatives such as the Young Leaders Program, the IDA Journal on Desalination & Water Reuse, our Environmental Task Force and the Humanitarian initiative, which as you know, is very important for me. The event we had last year in Portofino also proved the importance and relevance of this topic to members of the desalination industry around the world. Innovation cannot be effective unless we create a solid platform of scientists, industry professionals, managers and policy makers who can develop new solutions. Training, therefore, is an area where IDA can undertake fresh and important efforts. To this purpose, I am very pleased to confirm the announcement of the IDA Desalination Academy. We believe this Academy will represent a breakthrough in training opportunities for industry professionals around the world, as it also signals a milestone in IDA���s history. Could you tell D&WR readers something about the Academy? The Academy is intended to be a comprehensive training program that will span desalination technologies and processes; desalination economics; sustainability and green desalination strategies; and future innovative and developing technologies. Its mission is to provide the highest level of training, education and instruction to individuals, utilities, companies, institutions, universities and other organizations interested in desalination in all its aspects. Our vision for the Academy is that it will be the world���s foremost source for professional training and continuing education on desalination and water reuse. This Academy is aimed at mid- to senior-level management in utilities, suppliers, consultants, plant operation, and contractors. In addition, it will offer an introductory desalination course for individuals with fewer years of industry experience as a way to broaden knowledge and understanding of desalination and desalination technologies. We will be announcing news about its formal launch shortly (see page 42). Finally, my goal is that IDA will grow not only by statistics, but more importantly, by the significance of what we do for the industry and for the world. I renew our firm intent to reinforce our strong relationship with all our affiliates. For example, we are supporting a number of upcoming affiliate events including the EDS-AEDyR Desalination Conference in Spain (see page 46), the 2012 Qingdao International Desalination Conference (jointly organized by China Desalination Association (CDA) and other groups, and supported by Asia-Pacific Desalination Association and related countries, see page 43), and the IDASMMD International Conference Desalination and Sustainability in Casablanca, Morocco (see page 42), for which EDS was an important driving force. We are committed to our affiliates and to working together towards the shared goal of promoting desalination in all regions of the world. How do you propose to increase IDA membership? You talked in Final Word last issue about including end-users. How will this be done? Increasing membership is a key goal for IDA. We have started doing this by initiating a program of specialized conferences as well as becoming more diversified in the composition of the members. As desalination grows, it is important to be represented, visible and capable of offering a positive contribution in more countries where desalination is at the beginning stages. IDA���s participation in the upcoming North Africa conference held with SMMD, in South America (AEMIN and Water in Mining), and the forthcoming participation in the Qingdao conference are testimony of our commitment. While the effort in growing in our geographical representation is somewhat supported by the growth of the industry, membership needs also to reach in depth to all stakeholders in the industry who, so far, are not as involved as they could be. Particular emphasis goes, as you said, to the end-users. Endusers are at the source of any desalination project, and meaningful planning is essential for a sustainable future. We need to work more closely with end-users to make sure that they are aware of what the technology has to offer, and to ensure that they see a strong added value in their affiliation with IDA. In this respect, the initiatives that we have started are all in support of growing members and attracting their active participation. For instance, the IDA Academy provides the opportunity to educate the next generation of policy-makers, offering at the same time, a valid incentive for end-users to expand their affiliation with IDA. IDA has its next congress in China. How will the huge growth in Chinese desalination and reuse affect the industry? China has already developed several desalination projects, and water is an important issue in such an expanding economy. At the moment, China is more an end-user rather than a turnkey contractor or technology provider, and it depends on European contractors for large water and desalination solutions in the country. Therefore, China is developing initially as a market for overseas companies. Continued on page 15 February-March 2012 | Desalination & Water Reuse | 11 |

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