Water. Desalination + reuse
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/545366
BUSINESS | 10 | Desalination & Water Reuse | August-September 2015 coRpoRAte chAngeS IDE oNE of MIT TEchNology REvIEw'S 20 SMaRTEST In its 50th year in business, desalination company, IDE Technologies, is among the world's top 20 innovators according to the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT's) Technology Review. The magazine included IDE in its latest annual 50 smartest companies list. "To make the list, a company must have truly innovative technology and a business model that is both practical and ambitious, with the result that it has set the agenda in its field over the past twelve months," said MIT Technology Review. IDE was placed 18th in MIT Technology Review's annual list of the 50 smartest companies alongside Google and Apple and ahead of Facebook, IBM and Microsoft. According to the magazine, its editors each year compile the list based on the companies that they consider to have displayed impressive innovations in the preceding 12 months. IDE was the only water technology company to be recognized on this year's list. It was highlighted for offering affordable water desalination on an unprecedented scale. Companies on the list included first place holder, Tesla Motors, Google (12th), Apple (16th), Facebook (29th), IBM (46th), and Microsoft (48th). Previously the publication featured IDE's giant Sorek seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant – the world's largest – on its list of ten breakthrough technologies. IDE celebrates its half-century Staff members at IDE Technologies and their families have recently returned from a weekend of festivity in Eilat, Israel to commemorate the desalination company's 50th anniversary. Speaking at the jubilee celebrations, IDE chief executive officer, Avshalom Felber, expressed his gratitude for the efforts of the IDE workforce. He highlighted the company's role in tackling Israel's water supply challenges and the part played the construction by IDE of some of the world's largest reverse osmosis desalination plants The initial kernel of the IDE initiative started in 1958, and in May 1965 IDE was officially registered as a desalination company. Since then, the company has been involved in the development and construction of more than 400 desalination and industrial water treatment plants worldwide, delivering purified water at some 3 million m³/d. XylEM TEaMS wITh aUSTRalIaN waTER SERvIcES gIaNT To UNBlock pUMp STaTIoNS Water technology company Xylem has been working with one of Australia's largest water and sewerage services providers to reduce energy consumption significantly and eliminate blockages at a number of its wastewater pump stations. Xylem and supplier, Unitywater, have piloted Xylem's Flygt Experior wastewater pumping at the Bli Bli sewage pump station near Maroochydore. This initial trial resulted in a 57% reduction in energy consumption compared to the original pumping equipment. Unitywater in Queensland, Australia, services 16% of the state's population with 17 wastewater treatment plants and 778 sewage- pumping stations. After an additional six similar trials at other Unitywater wastewater pumping stations throughout Queensland, Flygt Experior has provided substantial reductions in energy use and pump blockages. Unitywater is currently evaluating where to install the system to improve operational reliability across its wastewater-pumping network. Unitywater executive manager for infrastructure services, Glen Babington, said, "The equipment at this trial site resulted in significantly fewer blockages and service call-outs, helping to reduce its running and maintenance costs. "Such savings have the potential to help us keep cost as low as possible for our customers." Xylem's Flygt Experior solution is, the manufacturer said, designed for wastewater pumping. It combines, according to Xylem, N-hydraulics, premium efficiency motors and intelligent controls to deliver reliable, and efficient wastewater pumping. Uk chloRINaTIoN fIRM SEllS Up To ITalIaN paRTNER UK-based electrochlorination firm, Severn Trent, and Italy's Industrie De Nora, have agreed the share sale of Severn Trent's Water Purification business to De Nora. The Water Purification business has operations in the US, Europe and Asia in water treatment products particularly electrochlorination, disinfection and filtration. Since 2002, Severn Trent and De Nora have been partners in the Severn Trent De Nora joint venture specializing in electrochemical processes for water and wastewater treatment for the municipal, onshore and offshore energy and marine sectors. The joint venture is part of the transaction. Severn Trent's parent company recently reorganized and brought together its non-regulated businesses into a Business Services division. The parent said the Water Purification sale would enable the management team to focus on its core water and wastewater services, which involve Operating Services US, Operating Services UK, including non-household retail and renewable energy. oRaNgE coUNTy gETS cREDIT ThUMBS-Up foR hUNTINgDoN SUpply DEal Credit rating agency Moody's Investors Service has given a positive credit appraisal to the Orange County Water District's (OCWD's) approval of a non-binding arrangement to buy 70,000 Ml of water from Poseidon Water's proposed Huntington Beach desalination plant in California. Moody's said that the proposed deal with Poseidon would meet about 13% of the OCWD's current total water deliveries and 11% of projected water demand in 2035. "The availability of additional water supply — from any source — is credit positive for OCWD," said Moody's. It rated the water district Aa1 with a stable outlook. Under the deal, Poseidon would obtain permits, finance the project, and build and operate the plant while the district would be responsible for building adjacent capital infrastructure such as pipelines. OCWD estimated its costs at US$ 140 million, which Moody's called "manageable, given the district's operating budget and current liquidity position."