Water. desalination + reuse

business | 8 | Desalination & Water Reuse | August-September 2014 GdF Suez wins Abu Dhabi power and water deal GdF Suez has signed a 25-year power and water purchase agreement with Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Company for the Mirfa independent water and power project which includes a new 136,380 m 3 /d seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant. GdF Suez will hold a 20% equity interest in the project with the remaining 80% to be held by Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority. The project will be built at a capital cost of US$ 1.5 billion and include the acquisition of existing power facilities and three existing 34,095 m 3 /d multi-stage flash distillation units, as well as the addition of 1,100 MW of new power production capacity and the new desalination facility. GdF Suez subsidiary Degrémont will carry out engineering, procurement and construction for the desalination plant, with commercial operation scheduled for 2016. ContRACt&tenDeRneWS Mining water treatment market to grow 85% by 2019 Mining has emerged as a key industrial sector in the global water treatment market. Hard-rock mining - iron, copper, gold, and nickel – is poised for 85% growth to US$ 17 billion by 2019 according to market researcher Bluefield Research. More than US$ 15 billion of large-scale desalination plants and supply pipelines dedicated to mining are in development said Bluefield in a recent report. Bluefield water treatment markets analyst, Erin Bonney Casey, said: "Nearly 50% - or US$ 223 billion - of planed hard-rock investment globally is slated for regions with medium-to-high water stress." e projected growth is driving increased competition in the sector. Leading water management and treatment companies including GE Water, Suez, Veolia Water, and Pentair are battling for market share through mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, and repositioning in the value chain. Bluefield said that stricter global regulations on water usage are expanding opportunities for new market entrants to supply mines with desalinated water. e new players include Aqualia, Doosan, Acciona, and Valoriza. "Regulations on water supply, wastewater treatment, and acid mine drainage in key markets are forcing miners to adopt solutions. And advanced technology is helping to drive down the water demand per tonne of mined ore," said Casey. Bluefield reported that since 2012 the 15 leading mining companies worldwide used more than 25 million m 3 /d of water, of which 62% was treated and recycled. In addition, revenue per cubic metre withdrawn ranged from a best-in-class US$ 344 a cubic metre for BHP Billiton down to US$ 19 a cubic metre for Newmont. Veolia-led firm to expand Sur desalination plant in oman Oman's Sharqiyah Desalination Company has signed an agreement to expand the 80,000 m 3 /d Sur desalination plant. Under an amended water purchase agreement with state-owned Oman Power and Water Procurement Company, Veolia-led Sharqiyah will add 50,000 m 3 /d to what is already the largest independent water project in Oman, according to a statement to the Muscat Securities Exchange. The expansion project will be developed on a build, own, operate basis and will be located adjacent to the existing reverse osmosis project at Sur, 160 km south west of Muscat. Veolia Water Middle East owns a 35.75% stake in the project with Oman's National Power and Water Company holding 29.25% and the remaining equity free floating in the Muscat Exchange. The additional water capacity of the expansion project will help to meet the projected demand for potable water in the Sharqiyah region. Sharqiyah said it would seek approval from shareholders and project financiers to take the Sur expansion project forward. It is the sole bidder for the work as allowed under its agreement with the Oman procurement company.

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