Water. Desalination + reuse
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/545366
PROJECTS | 20 | Desalination & Water Reuse | August-September 2015 Barka desalination plant expansion, will begin by the start of 2016. The Ghubra plant will contribute towards increasing water production for Muscat, South Al Batinah and Dakhiliya Wilayats. Al Mahruqi said the Quraiyat desalination plant, currently under development, will produce 220 Ml/d. Construction is scheduled for completion by the third quarter of 2017. CalifORnia CiTy mullS SECOnd dESalinaTiOn PlanT TO avOid waTER RaTiOning The city of Avalon on Catalina Island, California is considering a US$ 0.5 million contribution to a proposed second desalination unit in a bid to avoid further water rationing. The 0.75-1 Ml/d proposed plant at Southern California Edison's (SCE's) Pebbly Beach facility will produce twice Avalon's off-peak water demand. The city is looking to hold off the introduction of phase three water rationing which requires a 50% reduction in consumption. "It is important to recognize that this additional proposed desalination unit is not the solution to the island's water challenges; instead, it is only a short-term resolve to prevent the onset of phase three water rationing," said Avalon's city manager, Ben Harvey in a letter to citizens. Avalon and greater Catalina Island are considered as commendable in their efforts to reduce water use having cut theirs by a third according to a report from SCE. But the island communities believe further cuts would be challenging particularly for hotels which are pivotal to the local economy. Avalon's city council is soon to review a proposed US$ 0.5 million contribution to the second SCE desalination project. And it is looking to potential grant sources to shore up the finances of the proposed plant including the desalination component of California's Proposition 1 water bond, set up to fund water infrastructure projects. SCE is completing the necessary permitting having filed its permit for the project with the California Coastal Commission. Other legislative challenges include those relating to the saline discharge from the plant. SCE and Avalon are anticipating an autumn start for the plant's operation – the time when phase-three rationing is expected to begin. It is important to recognize that this additional proposed desalination unit is not the solution to the island's water challenges; instead, it is only a short-term resolve to prevent the onset of phase three water rationing. However, with a "patchwork quilt" approach of other remedies including proposed additional potential wells, reclaimed water and advanced technologies, ultimately Catalina Island and the City of Avalon will have a more sustainable and promising water-related future. gE PRE-TREaTmEnT in TExaS CiTy waSTEwaTER uPgRadE The city of Abilene, Texas has completed its installation of GE's LEAPmbr wastewater pretreatment system as part of a major upgrade to the city's Hamby wastewater treatment plant. The Hamby project is the first part of a bid to address the fall in the city's reservoir levels to below one-third capacity. The project has deployed GE's pre-treatment followed by a reverse osmosis system to discharge treated wastewater at more than 35 Ml/d into the reservoir at Lake Fort Phantom Hill, to increase clean water supplies for Abilene's residents and businesses. GE's LEAPmbr package included the design and supply of the entire membrane filtration scope along with several elements of the biological treatment process. GE will remotely monitor the Hamby plant using its cloud- based data management platform, InSight. This will help to optimise the system's operation and reduce running costs GE said. Engineering firm Enprotec/Hibbs & Todd has overseen the design and construction of the Hamby upgrades. QaTaR OPTS fOR JaPanESE gROuP TO build gianT POwER and dESalinaTiOn PROJECT Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) has awarded a US$ 3.2 billion independent water and power project deal to a Japanese consortium of Mitsubishi and Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco). The K1 Energy consortium is to build an electricity and water plant comprising a 590,000 m³/d desalination facility and a 2.4 GW gas-fired power station at Umm Al Houl, 20km south of the city of Doha. Spanish firm, Acciona Agua, has been commissioned to provide technical services for the Umm Al Houl project as well as the Ras Abu Fontas A3 desalination plant – a 180 Ml/d independent water project. Kahramaa has also signed a 25-year power and water purchase agreement (PWPA) with K1. The agreement followed an international tender issued by Kahramaa in May 2014. Kahramaa will sign the final PWPA for the project with a special purpose company comprising K1 Energy, Qatar Electricity and Water (QEWC), Qatar Petroleum (QP) and Qatar Foundation (QF). Mitsubishi holds 98.5% of K1 with the rest owned by Tepco. QEWC will hold a 60% stake in the new plant with K1 taking 30% interest and QP and QF each having 5%. Power and water production at the plant are expected to start commercial operations in 2017. The project has been planned to meet the increasing power and water demands in the country arising from its steady economic growth. Requirements for water and power in Qatar are expected to soar by more than 50% by 2022 according to estimates from the state owned utility the Kahramaa. Kahramaa has said demand was likely to rise to top 2,400 Ml/d over the next seven years from, about 1,500 Ml/d today with desalination as the sole means to meet the increase. Among the country's developments is one of the biggest water schemes ever undertaken by Kahramaa which is to build five giant reservoirs. Work began on the first one in mid-May. That was the beginning of a QR 17 billion (US$ 4.6 billion) project to enhance the country's water security by taking stored capacity to about 18,000 Ml, equal to some seven days of unrestricted water supply. Qatar's population rose 8.7% year-on-year in the 12 months to April 2015 to reach 2.3 million, an increase of 187,000, according to a report from Qatar National Bank. Population growth for 2015 is expected to back off to about 7%, according to the report. But the recent expansion, coupled with a growth in major infrastructure projects, is placing a mounting strain on the country's utilities.