Water. desalination + reuse

EUROPE Consolidated's desalination plan advances in Mexico | 28 | Desalination & Water Reuse | November-December 2014 Reuse in Brazil poised to grow Water reuse in Brazil is poised for "strong growth" in response to a tightening water crisis according to the country's largest water company. Currently only 0.1% of Brazil's water is produced by reuse. In São Paulo water reuse is close to 2% and could increase to 25% in a decade, according to president of São Paulo water utility Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo, Gesner de Oliveira. According to Sabesp's research and development officer, Américo Sampaio, a lack of tax incentives for water reuse and the slow modernization of public water systems have added to delays in the growth of water reuse in Brazil. Sampaio predicted that water reuse will grow strongly in Brazil as a result of the current water crisis. He said one of the main concerns, however, was the lack of appropriate and clear regulations which discourage companies from investing because they are uncertain that systems will be permitted in the future. Brockton city poised to bid for near-unused desalination plant regions NORTH & SOUTH AMERICA The mayor of US city, Brockton, Massachusetts has proposed a US$ 88 million bid by the city to buy its near-unused Dighton desalination plant to free it from a 20-year contract with the plant owner. Mayor Bill Carpenter said Brockton has been spending more than US$ 4 million a year under a deal with Aquaria signed by city officials in 2002. Carpenter said annual payments would rise to as much as US$ 10 million whether or not the city used any water. He said buying the plant would provide water for Brockton's own use as well as drinking water to sell to other communities, even though the current owners have been unable to do so. City councillors and residents, however, have been sceptical, with concerns that the operating cost might erode any savings. Even without the sale of water to other towns, the city could save at least US$ 1 million annually by cancelling the contract and buying the plant through bond financing, said Brockton's chief financial officer, John Condon. Reverse osmosis desalination company Consolidated Water has reported progress in its plan to build a seawater desalination plant in Mexico to supply a US water utility. The Cayman Islands-based firm highlighted the planned facility at Rosarito in its second quarter 2014 results. The planned 378,000 m³/d plant, formally owned by Consolidated subsidiary NSC Agua, is scheduled to be online in early 2018. The plant will cost an estimated US$ 550 million, plus US$ 150 million in water conveyance costs. The plant is being developed to supply water not only to Mexican water consumers but also a US water utility, Otay Water District in California. If realized, the project would be the first to transfer water from Mexico to the US. Brussels seeks options on upping reuse A European Union (EU) public consultation on "policy options to optimise water reuse in the EU" is approaching its close as the bloc seeks to exploit a "significant potential for further development of water reuse" among member states. According to the EU: "In spite of its numerous advantages and development potential, the reuse of reclaimed water is not widely implemented in many member states." Brussels said it was considering a range of possible measures spanning no intervention and full legislation. It said obstacles to greater water reuse included widely differing standards between member states and lack of public acceptance. Brussels anticipated that the increasing instances of drought and other impacts of climate change will drive further interest in water reuse. And it noted that a number of EU states were drawing up policy frameworks to include reuse while those lacking suitable technology were developing their technical capacity to bring on water reuse. Greece mulls strategy to repeat Hydra cuts The Greek government is pondering a strategy to boost desalination on the Aegean islands after a new plant on Hydra cut the price of water there by two thirds. Hydra used to get water delivered by ship which was, according to outgoing Hydra mayor Angelos Kotronis, "Poor quality water but there was no choice. "Water used to cost the municipality € 3.19 a cubic metre but now we will pay € 1.19 and all we had to do was provide the land for the plant to be built," said Kotronis. The government is understood to view the plant on Hydra as a potential blueprint which could be followed by all the Aegean islands. "We have to overhaul the whole system. We want private companies to install desalination units on all the islands within the next eight months," said general secretary for the Aegean, Nikos Zoidis. He said the ministry would examine whether it could contribute financially to the projects or act as a guarantor.

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