Water. Desalination + reuse
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Saudi unveils plans for desalination capacity boost Saudi Arabia's General Establishment for Water Desalination (GEWD) is implementing new projects with a total production capacity of up to 2.5 million m³/d in the Makkah region and the eastern province over the next four years. Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah Al-Hussayen told a recent press conference that the first project in the Makkah Region includes the establishment of two plants — the first in Jeddah with a production capacity of 400,000 m³/d, and the second in Rabigh with a production capacity of 600,000 m³/d to meet the needs of Makkah, Taif and Jeddah. GEWD governor, Abdul Rahman Al-Ibrahim, said the establishment was currently working on presenting the project to the contractor, while the other approved project in Jubail will cover the eastern province and Riyadh's water needs with a capacity of 1.5 million m³/d. He said that the projects will meet all water needs in the designated areas and they were expected to be launched at the end of 2016 and completed by mid-2020. He said the ministry was implementing water and sewage projects worth more than SR 60 billion (US$ 16 billion) but, due to the large expansion of some cities and regions, some citizens and residents may not feel the results of such projects yet. Namibian miner switches back to utility from own plant plan Namibian mining company, Rössing Uranium, has restated its preference for procuring water from national water utility, Namwater, despite having completed a feasibility study of its planned desalination plant north of Swakopmund. Rössing's managing director, Werner Duvenhage, was reported in The Economist as telling stakeholders: "The feasibility study for the desalination plant has been completed as well as environmental impact assessment approval. Full approval for the project is still pending." Yet he went on to repeat the company's preference for the government to realize its plans to either build a desalination plant or acquire the facility built by Areva Namibia for its uranium mine at Trekkopje which is currently mothballed because of low uranium prices. Areva Namibia said that discussions with the Namibian government for the sale of the plant were at "an advanced stage. We believe in the government's intention to acquire the plant, as it is their ultimate responsibility to ensure bulk water supply," said Areva. Rössing has investigated a pipeline and a channel as options for transporting water to the plant. A seawater receiving tank or an existing salt works pond would serve as a site for a dissolved air flotation pre-treatment plant. The seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant would have a capacity of about 8,200 m³/d. Discharge options under consideration, include "beach disposal" and "sea disposal" within the lining licence area of the Swakopmund Salt Works. MIDDLE EAST - NorTh AfrIcA rEGIoNS ASIA & PAcIfIc Pakistan province pushes delayed desalination project Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman, Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, has pushed the bureau's Balochistan arm to bring a long-awaited 2 Ml/d desalination plant at Karwat, Gwadar finally into operation. The plant has started functioning for the past three months to provide potable water to the cities of Gwadar and Jevni. At its outset in 2006 the project was proposed initially for the region's industrial zone but following various difficulties the NAB decided that water from the plant should be provided to the 250,000 people of Gwadar and Jeewani. The NAB claimed the long-awaited plant was recently completed following its persistent efforts. Chaudhry ordered the NAB Balochistan to conduct an inquiry into the delays in the plant's progress. Following investigations into the contractors and Balochistan officials, all parties agreed to resume work. The NAB said it drove the construction of a pipeline to supply water from the plant to Gwadar city and adjoining areas. The contractor was bound to operate and maintain the plant for one year after commissioning. Balochistan, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the southwestern region of the country. Its largest city is the provincial capital, Quetta. Sohar desalination hit by after costly problems Sohar Power Company (SPC) has reported the financial impact on its water desalination plant following operational problems in early April costing between OMR 0.7 million (US$ 1.82 million) and OMR 1.4 million (US$ 3.64 million), depending on the outcome of remedial actions. As D&WR went to press the company had not confirmed that the plant was back to full operation. SPC said that the company faced two technical problems – a burst seawater pipeline belonging to Orpic refinery on 3 May and operational issues at SPC and water desalination plant on 2 April. SPC said the burst Orpic refinery seawater pipe flooded the sea water intake area in the industrial port of Sohar and affected installations and operations of neighbouring companies including SPC. It estimated the financial impact of the flooding at more than exceed OMR 0.4 million (US$ 1.04 million). "This incident caused a shutdown at Sohar power and desalination plant on 5 May, interrupting the supply of water to the state-owned Pubic Authority for Electricity and Water reservoir as well as the supply of power to the network," SPC said. "However, the full impact of the incident was still being investigated and the plant had not yet returned to normal operating mode," it added. On 19 May the plant was shut down unexpectedly as a consequence, according to SPC, of the earlier seawater flooding. Lack of emergency skills and failure to follow operating manual instructions were among the reasons for the loss of power and water production at the plant in May according to a report issued in July by the Omani Authority for Electricity Regulation. SPC had forecast a return by 20 June. August-September 2015 | Desalination & Water Reuse | 47 |