Loading...
The URL can be used to link to this page
Your browser does not support the video tag.
Home
My WebLink
About
04-27-16 Desal Committee Packet
OTAY WATER DISTRICT DESALINATION PROJECT COMMITTEE MEETING and SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2554 SWEETWATER SPRINGS BOULEVARD SPRING VALLEY, CALIFORNIA Boardroom WEDNESDAY April 27, 2016 12:00 P.M. This is a District Committee meeting. This meeting is being posted as a special meeting in order to comply with the Brown Act (Government Code Section §54954.2) in the event that a quorum of the Board is present. Items will be deliberated, however, no formal board actions will be taken at this meeting. The committee makes recommendations to the full board for its consideration and formal action. AGENDA 1. ROLL CALL 2. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION – OPPORTUNITY FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD ON ANY SUBJECT MATTER WITHIN THE BOARD'S JU- RISDICTION BUT NOT AN ITEM ON TODAY'S AGENDA DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. INFORMATIONAL UPDATE FOR THE ROSARITO DESALINATION PLANT AND CONVEYANCE AND THE OTAY MESA CONVEYANCE AND DISINFECTION SYSTEM PROJECTS (KENNEDY) 4. ADJOURNMENT BOARD MEMBERS ATTENDING: Jose Lopez, Chair Mitch Thompson 2 All items appearing on this agenda, whether or not expressly listed for action, may be delib- erated and may be subject to action by the Board. The Agenda, and any attachments containing written information, are available at the Dis- trict’s website at www.otaywater.gov. Written changes to any items to be considered at the open meeting, or to any attachments, will be posted on the District’s website. Copies of the Agenda and all attachments are also available through the District Secretary by contacting her at (619) 670-2280. If you have any disability that would require accommodation in order to enable you to partici- pate in this meeting, please call the District Secretary at 670-2280 at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Certification of Posting I certify that on April 22, 2016 I posted a copy of the foregoing agenda near the regular meeting place of the Board of Directors of Otay Water District, said time being at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting of the Board of Directors (Government Code Section §54954.2). Executed at Spring Valley, California on April 22, 2015. ______/s/_ Susan Cruz, District Secretary _____ STAFF REPORT TYPE MEETING: Desalination Committee MEETING DATE: April 27, 2016 SUBMITTED BY: Bob Kennedy Engineering Manager CIP./G.F. NO: P2451- 001101 DIV. NO. ALL APPROVED BY: Rod Posada, Chief, Engineering German Alvarez, Assistant General Manager Mark Watton, General Manager SUBJECT: Informational Update for the Rosarito Desalination Plant and the Otay Mesa Conveyance and Disinfection System Projects GENERAL MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION: No recommendation. This is an informational item only. COMMITTEE ACTION: Please see Attachment A. PURPOSE: To update the Otay Water District (District) Board of Directors (Board) on the progress of the Rosarito Desalination Plant and the Otay Mesa Conveyance and Disinfection System Projects (Project)(see Exhibit A for Project location). ANALYSIS: This item was last presented to the Desalination Committee (Committee) at a meeting held on October 19, 2015. The updates or significant milestones that have been reached since the last update to the Committee include: Project Direction In 2014, the State of Baja California (State) passed legislation to approve public-private partnership (APP in Spanish), under 2 article 80 of Asociaciones Público Privadas (APP) laws for the State. The APPs allow for the direct negotiations of the State with private companies such as NSC Agua (NSCA). The Secretaria de Infraestructura y Desarrollo Urbano del Estado (SIDUE), a State agency that coordinates infrastructure projects for the State and the Comisión Estatal del Agua de Baja California (CEA), an agency that is responsible for regulating the State’s water and sewerage industry, issued a public invitation to tender for the production and conveyance of desalinated water produced in Rosarito Beach and operated for a period of 37 years. The State is also considering selling to the District desalinated water. The reason the State wants to pursue this kind of project is because Tijuana is currently exceeding their water allocation from the Colorado River. Today, Tijuana is about 1.2 cubic meters per second short (approximately 30,000 acre-feet per year) and must negotiate with the farmers in the Mexicali Valley on a yearly basis to acquire the additional water to meet its demands. On October 20, 2015, the District sent a letter to the Director General for CEA expressing interest in acquiring a minimum of 13 MGD of desalinated water to augment supply (see Exhibit B). The letter notes that the District will require the involvement and consent of the federal governments of our respective nations, likely through the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) and Comisión International de Limites y Agua (CILA). Concerning the progress of the desalination project, NSC Agua S.A. de C.V. (NSC Agua) has stated that they have received very preliminary cost information from the potential EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) contractor that indicates the cost of the product water for Otay Water District would be close to the cost of imported water from the San Diego County Water Authority. On November 24, 2015, CEA/CESPT and the APP Committee hosted a “site visit.” Almost a dozen companies attended. The tenders were due on March 23, 2016, but this deadline was extended to April 21, 2016. CEA/CESPT will evaluate all tenders and will make a selection which is expected to be completed by the summer of 2016. The plan is to build the project in two (2) or more phases. The first phase would provide product water to satisfy the demands for Mexico (Tijuana and Rosarito). Future phase(s) would 3 produce excess water for sale to the District. A designated pipeline will carry desalinated water to the District and the water would meet California water quality standards. The Board President, Vice-President, General Manager, and staff conducted a public outreach effort on February 17, 2016, where Lisa Coburn-Boyd, Environmental Compliance Specialist, presented information on the project to the Tijuana Verde Working Committee of Tijuana Innovadora. The meeting was held at the Imperial Beach Tijuana River Estuary Park facility. The project was well received and a short segment on this committee meeting was also included in a KPBS news item. Rosarito Desalination Project in the News The drought continues to be a constant topic in the national, state, and local news as well as in Mexico at the State of Baja California. Projects that provide a new supply of water have been mentioned, on both sides of the border, including the Rosarito Beach Desalination Project. On November 9, 2015, the Water Desalination Report (WDR) covered the state of Baja California’s invitation to bid (See Exhibit C). On December 21, 2015, the WDR covered a new U.S. federal government initiative to look at public-private partnerships to help meet the constrained water demand in regions that will be affected by increasingly severe and lengthy droughts. Invited to the White House was John Tonner from NSC Agua (see Exhibit D). On February 15, 2016, the WDR noted Consolidated Water Company acquired 51 percent of Aerex Industries, a Florida based designer and manufacturer of water treatment equipment (see Exhibit E). On March 7, 2016, The San Diego Union Tribune published an article entitled, “Second Desalination Plant for Baja California, First Public Private Venture in the State” about a groundbreaking ceremony for a desalination plant set to open in 2017 to supply residents in the San Quintin agricultural region (see Exhibit F). The Rosarito Desalination Report was noted as the third desalination plant in the State of Baja California. On March 13, 2016, The San Diego Union Tribune published an article about the Rosarito Desalination Project entitled, 4 “Lawsuits Cloud Bid to Build Rosarito Desalination Plant” (see Exhibit G). On March 14, 2016, the WDR, in an article, noted that the Carlsbad desalination plant allowed member agencies to lower their conservation goal for each member agency by about eight percent. The same report noted that Mexican billionaire, Carlos Slim, launched a takeover of Spain’s largest construction group, Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas SA (FCC), and the parent company of Agualia, a water management and desalination company (see Exhibit H). FFC Aqualia is one of the companies reported to be interested in the Rosarito desalination project. On March 21, 2016, the WDR provided an update on the Baja California Rosarito tender process (see Exhibit I). On April 5, 2016, The San Diego Union Tribune published an article noting that the Rosarito Desalination Project as one of several projects that are key to Baja California’s economic health. The article was entitled, “Major Baja Projects Touted at World Investment Forum, Rosarito Desal Plant would be Operational by 2019” (see Exhibit J). Contract with AECOM AECOM continues to work only on the environmental tasks. On November 4, 2015, the Board approved Amendment No. 4 of the contract with AECOM to increase the project management budget by $22,425, resulting in a higher contract amount with AECOM of an amount not-to-exceed $3,800,863. At the time, the project management component of their contract was expected to carry them through to April/May of this year before an adjustment would be needed. No budget adjustment is needed at this time and staff anticipates the project management budget should be sufficient until the next project update in September or October of this year. Other Contract The District continues to reduce costs and on December 31, 2015, the District terminated the contract with Silva-Silva International, six months before the contract expiration date. 5 Division of Drinking Water (DDW) Permitting (formerly CDPH) NSCA continues the source water testing at the power plant intake and outlet structures that began on September 18, 2014. The results are posted with DDW. Staff and representatives from NSCA continue to coordinate on complying with the California Water Resources Control Board Drinking Water Program regulatory requirements related to source water quality testing. Presidential Permit The Presidential Permit process was initiated in November, 2013, when the District submitted an application letter to the United States Department of State (DOS) asking that the permit process begin. Since that time, District staff and consultants have been working on the joint California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)/ National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental document, an Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS). Staff and consultants from AECOM have completed the draft EIR/EIS and all of the DOS comments have been addressed. The draft EIR/EIS is tentatively scheduled to be ready for its 45-day public review period sometime in April, 2016. Comments received during the public review period must be responded to and changes made to the EIR/EIS, as necessary. Once the final EIR/EIS is complete, the DOS will use the findings of the environmental document and a range of other factors that include, but are not limited to, cultural and economic impacts, and compliance with applicable law and policy in order to determine whether the Project would serve the national interest. The DOS will then issue the Presidential Permit, if it determines that the Project would serve the national interest. Based on the current schedule, the Presidential Permit determination could occur in late 2016. FISCAL IMPACT: Joe Beachem, Chief Financial Officer No fiscal impact as this is an informational item only. (See Attachment B - Budget Detail). Although $6,345,698 has been committed as of April 6, 2016, $3,851,084 has been actually spent. Staff has stopped all activities concerning this project, except the completion of the EIR/EIS and Presidential Permit activities. It is anticipated that an additional $280,000 will be spent through the late 2016. 6 STRATEGIC GOAL: This Project supports the District’s Mission statement, “To provide high value water and wastewater services to the customers of the Otay Water District in a professional, effective, and efficient manner” and the General Manager’s Vision, “A District that is at the forefront in innovations to provide water services at affordable rates, with a reputation for outstanding customer service.” LEGAL IMPACT: None. BK/RP:jf P:\WORKING\CIP P2451 Desalination Feasibility Study\Staff Reports\Committee Desal Update 2016\Committee 04-27-16, Staff Report, Desal Update, (BK-RP)-bk.doc Attachments: Attachment A – Committee Action Attachment B – Budget Detail Exhibit A – Project Location Exhibit B – Letter of Interest in Acquiring Desalinated Potable Water, October 20, 2015 Exhibit C – State of Baja California’s invitation to bid Exhibit D – U.S. government initiative to look at public-private partnerships Exhibit E - Consolidated Water Company acquired 51 percent of Aerex Industries Exhibit F – Second Desalination Plant for Baja California, First Public Private Venture in the State Exhibit G – Lawsuits Cloud Bid to Build Rosarito Desalination Plant Exhibit H – Carlsbad desalination plant allowed member agencies to lower their conservation goal and Mexican billionaire, Carlos Slim launched a takeover of Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas SA (FCC) Exhibit I – Baja California Rosarito tender process Exhibit J – Major Baja Projects Touted at World Investment Forum, Rosarito Desal Plant would be Operational by 2019 7 ATTACHMENT A SUBJECT/PROJECT: P2451-001101 Informational Update for the Rosarito Desalination Plant and the Otay Mesa Conveyance and Disinfection System Projects COMMITTEE ACTION: This item was presented to the Desalination Committee (Committee) at a meeting held on April 27, 2016. ATTACHMENT B – Budget Detail SUBJECT/PROJECT: P2451-001101 Informational Update for the Rosarito Desalination Plant and the Otay Mesa Conveyance and Disinfection System Projects Date Updated: 4/6/2016 Budget 30,000,000 Phases Planning Consultant Contracts 98,577 98,577 - 98,577 CAMP DRESSER & MCKEE INC 13,311 13,311 - 13,311 CPM PARTNERS INC 380,200 380,200 - 380,200 HECTOR I MARES-COSSIO 71,531 71,531 - 71,531 MARSTON & MARSTON INC 26,155 9,641 16,514 26,155 BROWNSTEIN HYATT FARBER 26,700 26,700 - 26,700 REA & PARKER RESEARCH 4,173 4,173 0 4,173 SALVADOR LOPEZ-CORDOVA 224,355 224,355 - 224,355 SILVA-SILVA INTERNATIONAL Meals, Travel, Incidentals 21,846 21,846 - 21,846 STAFF Printing 61 61 - 61 MAIL MANAGEMENT GROUP INC Professional Legal Fees 162,041 162,041 - 162,041 GARCIA CALDERON & RUIZ LLP 43,175 43,175 - 43,175 SOLORZANO CARVAJAL GONZALEZ Y 32,612 32,612 - 32,612 STUTZ ARTIANO SHINOFF Regulatory Agency Fees 2,142 2,142 - 2,142 STATE WATER RESOURCES Service Contracts 500 500 - 500 REBECA SOTURA NICKERSON 875 875 - 875 LEONARD VILLAREAL 32,463 32,463 - 32,463 (W)RIGHT ON COMMUNICATIONS INC 39,500 39,500 - 39,500 BUSTAMANTE & ASSOCIATES LLC 290 290 - 290 SAN DIEGO DAILY TRANSCRIPT 685 685 - 685 SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, THE Standard Salaries 1,117,357 1,117,357 - 1,117,357 Total Planning 2,298,549 2,282,036 16,514 2,298,549 Design 001102 Consultant Contracts 5,109 5,109 - 5,109 MARSTON+MARSTON INC 30,270 30,270 - 30,270 MICHAEL R WELCH PHD PE 8,818 8,818 - 8,818 CPM PARTNERS INC 5,000 5,000 - 5,000 ATKINS 3,800,863 1,322,763 2,478,100 3,800,863 AECOM TECHNICAL SERVICES INC 3,952 3,952 - 3,952 AIRX UTILITY SURVEYORS INC Professional Legal Fees 7,761 7,761 - 7,761 STUTZ ARTIANO SHINOFF Meals, Travel, Incidentals 3,216 3,216 3,216 STAFF Service Contracts 343 343 - 343 SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE LLC 114 114 - 114 REPROHAUS CORP Standard Salaries 181,374 181,374 - 181,374 Total Design 4,046,819 1,568,719 2,478,100 4,046,819 Construction Standard Salaries 329 329 0 329 Total Construction 329 329 0 329 Grand Total 6,345,698 3,851,084 2,494,613 6,345,698 Vendor/Comments Otay Water District p2451-Otay Mesa Desalination Conveyance and Disinfection System Committed Expenditures Outstanding Commitment & Forecast Projected Final Cost 571-1RESERVOIR 870-1RESERVOIR OTAY MESA RD EN R I C O F E R M I D R DONOVA N DONOVANCORRECTIONALFACILITY SIEMPRE VIVA RD G.F. BAILEYDETENTION FACILITY AIRWAY RD AL T A R D PASEO DE LA F U E N T T E STATE PRISON RD ALT A R D MEXICO USA OW D B O U N D A R Y FUTURE FUT U R E ?ò ?Ü ?Ü FUTUREPORT OFENTRY OTAY WATER DISTRICTOTAY MESA DESALINATION CONVEYANCEAND DISINFECTION SYSTEM PROJECT EXHIBIT A CIP P2451 0 2,0001,000 Feet F P: \ W O R K I N G \ C I P P 2 4 5 1 D e s a l i n a t i o n F e a s i b i l i t y S t u d y \ G r a p h i c s \ E x h i b i t s - F i g u r e s \ E x h i b i t A , M a r c h 2 0 1 5 . m x d Legend Pipeline Alternative 1 Pipeline Alternative 2 Pipeline Alternative 3 VICINITY MAP PROJECT SITE NTSDIV 5 DIV 1 DIV 2 DIV 4 DIV 3 ?ò Aä%&s ?p ?Ë !\ F Water Desalination ReporT Tom Pankratz, Editor, P.O. Box 75064, Houston, Texas 77234-5064 USA Telephone: +1-281-857-6571, www.desalination.com/wdr, email: tp@globalwaterintel.com © 2015 Media Analytics. Published in cooperation with Global Water Intelligence. Volume 51, Number 43 The international weekly for desalination and advanced water treatment since 1965 9 November 2015 Mexico State gov’t issues SWRO Invite to bid On Friday, the government of the State of Baja California, Mexico, issued an invitation to bid (ITB) on a seawater desalination project in Rosarito Beach, 30km south RI 7LMXDQD 7KH SODQW ZLOO EH GHVLJQHG EXLOW ¿QDQFHG and operated for a period of 37 years as a public-private partnership, under article 80 of Asociaciones Público Privadas (APP) laws for the state, which were revised in 2014. It will be constructed in two stages, and will have a total annual production capacity of up to 131.2 million m3/ yr (360,000 m3/d; 95 MGD). The ITB was published in Spanish and WDR’s translation indicates that the interested companies must follow a SUHVFULEHGDQGVRPHZKDWRQHURXVSUHTXDOL¿FDWLRQSURFHVV WKDW LQFOXGHV ¿OLQJ GRFXPHQWV SURYLQJ WKHLU WHFKQLFDO abilities based on similar projects, a list of projects currently LQ SURFHVV DQG DQ H[WHQVLYH GRFXPHQWDWLRQ RI ¿QDQFLDO capabilities. Only after each prospective bidder’s documents have been reviewed and their applications accepted, will they will be allowed to purchase the tender documents for 100,000 pesos ($6,000). The preliminary project schedule is: Documents available through: 22 December 2015 Site visit: 24 November 2015 &ODUL¿FDWLRQPHHWLQJ 'HFHPEHU Bid opening: 23 March 2016 Award date: 20 May 2016 Project start date: 12 July 2016 Financial close: 1 August 2016 Construction start date: 6 months after award Construction completion: 36 months after award The state of Baja California has retained Baja Norte Water Resources, a US company, to market any excess water from the project as a direct sale on the US side of the border, or as a trade with Colorado River users. San Diego County’s Otay Water District has apparently signed a non-binding letter of intent to purchase some of the water and is in the process of obtaining the necessary approvals required for a cross-border purchase. Consolidated Water Company (CWCO), through NSC Agua, its Mexican development company, has been ac- WLYHO\GHYHORSLQJDSURMHFWLQWKHDUHDIRUPRUHWKDQ¿YH years, and has acquired a 20ha (49.5-acre) site adjacent to Comisión Federal de Electricidad’s (CFE) Rosarito Power Station and has obtained municipal and state-level permits and environmental approvals. Although CWCO submitted an unsolicited proposal for the project this past March, Mexico’s APP procurement laws require that the state launch a competitive tender for the project before an award could be made. CWCO, a NASDAQ-listed company, will host a third quarter investor conference call this Tuesday, at which it is likely that CEO Rick McTaggart will provide additional details. Rosarito Desalination Plant – 1968 In 1965, the City of Tijuana in Baja California, Mexico, made the decision to build a 28,387 m3/d (7.5 MGD) seawater desal plant at CFE’s Rosarito Power Station. Wisconsin-based Aqua-Chem was awarded a $7 million contract to construct the 44-stage MSF plant, which would use steam extracted from the co-located 225 MW power plant. The project was ¿QDQFHGE\WKH86([SRUW,PSRUW%DQNDQGFRPPLVVLRQHGLQ1RYHPEHU 1968. At the time, it was the world’s largest seawater desalting plant. Page 2WATER DESALINATION REPORT – 9 November 2015 Company News 0HPEUDQHVXSSOLHUWRUDLVHLWVSURÀOH When Pennsylvania-based QUA Group debuted its product line at the 2011 Aquatech Amsterdam exhibition, the two- year-old company had just received NSF approval for its Q-Sep UF membrane and already had installed 15 of its patented FEDI (‘fractional’ electrodeionization) systems. WDR next caught up with the company at 2013 Aquatech Amsterdam as it launched its new CeraQ ceramic UF membrane product line. 7KRXJKWKHFRPSDQ\KDVVLQFHDGGHGWKH(QYL4DÀDW sheet, frameless MBR membrane to its product line, it has generally stayed out of the news. However, it looks like that’s about to change. QUA recently appointed Fred Wiesler as sales and marketing director, and last week, Wiesler—who has 25 years of water treatment experience, including 20 years at Membrana where he was the global sales director—outlined his plans to increase the company’s SUR¿OH He told WDRWKDW48$KDVVSHQWWKHODVW¿YH\HDUVIRFXVLQJ on the engineering side of its business and his job is to help strengthen the company’s sales and marketing efforts to build on its recent successes. Besides preparing new product data sheets and sales literature, he said that the company plans to develop a direct regional sales organization in North America and a distributor/agent organization in the rest of the world. “QUA has been very active over the last few years and we now have over 100 installations worldwide in municipal, power, petrochemical, food and beverage and pharmaceutical applications. Our installations range IURPORZÀRZUDWHVWRD46HS8)SUHWUHDWPHQWV\VWHPIRU a 38,000 m3/d [10 MGD)] SWRO system in India. “We’ve also recently installed one of the world’s largest EDI systems at an LNG plant in North America. The client selected our patented FEDI dual voltage technology to polish over 14,700 m3/day [3.9 MGD] of RO permeate because of its ability to treat higher hardness water and enhanced silica removal performance,” said Wiesler. Besides offering its membrane products and EDI stacks WR TXDOL¿HG V\VWHP 2(0V WKH FRPSDQ\ DOVR SURYLGHV service support and product training. Saudi Arabia SWCC’s 50+ year desal history For centuries, the people of the Arabian Peninsula depended on digging wells for their water supplies. By the start of 2016 Produced Water Society Seminar The Produced Water Society will hold its annual seminar on 25-28 January in Houston, Texas. For more information, or to submit an DEVWUDFWYLVLWhttp://www.producedwatersociety.com. the 20th century, it was already becoming clear that these wells were not sustainable, and in 1907 -HGGDKDFTXLUHGLWV¿UVW seawater distiller (left) to supply its residents and an increasing number of visitors with water. And in the late 1920s, two additional distillers were added. But it was not until the 1960s, and the exponen- tial population growth associated with Saudi Arabia’s booming oil industry that the region began turning to large-scale seawater desalination. In 1965, the Ministry of Agriculture and Water, under the management of Prince Mohammed Al Faisal, launched the 6DOLQH:DWHU&RQYHUVLRQ*HQHUDO$GPLQLVWUDWLRQRI¿FHWR conduct feasibility studies into desal plant construction. Four years later, Aqua-Chem commissioned two, 20-stage, 380 m3/d (100,000 GPD) MSF units on the Red Sea coast: RQHDW$O:DMKDQGDQRWKHUDW'XED%\ WKH¿UVW phase of the Jeddah Desalination plant was launched. Then, in 1972, the Administration became the Deputy Ministry for Water Desalination Affairs within the Ministry of Agriculture and Water. And in 1975, a Royal decree created the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), SWCC’s Ras Al Khair Power & Water Plant – 2,400 MW power production and 1 million m3/d MSF/SWRO desalinated water production Page 3WATER DESALINATION REPORT – 9 November 2015 Four plenary presentations addressed the current water supply challenges and state-of-the-art technology. The remainder of the event was conducted in smaller breakout sessions where participants considered pathways to accelerate R&D and the deployment of promising desal approaches at lower energetic, economic and environmental costs relative to existing technologies. The DOE staffers will take the next six weeks to summarize the ideas and prepare reports containing research recommendations. 'XULQJ WKH ¿QDO VHVVLRQ 5RE 2JOHVE\ WKH H[HFXWLYH director of the California Energy Commission (CEC), addressed the attendees and noted the importance of the issue. The CEC is the state’s primary energy policy and planning agency with responsibilities that include supporting energy research and promoting energy HI¿FLHQF\DQGFRQVHUYDWLRQ Oglesby addressed the possible impact of seawater desal on the state’s energy resources if a majority of the planned seawater projects were constructed. He noted that most new electric production capacity is derived from variable renewable energy sources such as solar PV and wind WXUELQHV ZKLFK ÀXFWXDWH ZLOGO\ DQG LQWURGXFH V\VWHP LQÀH[LELOLW\PDNLQJLWPRUHGLI¿FXOWIRUJULGRSHUDWRUVWR control. He used the Duck Curve—named for the curve’s duck- like shape—shown below, to illustrate the increasing challenge resulting from the rapid growth of renewables. a Saudi government corporation responsible for producing electric power, desalting seawater and the distribution of water to various regions in the Kingdom. Earlier this year, the SWCC governor said that the Su- preme Economic Council would study a request to priva- tize the organization, listed on the Saudi stock exchange, and allow private sector investors to become stakeholders in the company. SWCC / WEC – 47.2% 2WKHUV8QNQRZQ± 11.4 million m3/d Installed capacity (2015) 0DUD¿T± 1:&± Saudi Aramco – 1.7% Petro Rabigh – 1.7% MOWE – 3.7% Saudi Arabia’s installed desal capacity by offtaker/client Today, SWCC—including its Water and Electricity Company subsidiary, of which it owns 50 percent— operates 28 plants producing nearly 6 million m3/d (1,585 MGD) of desalted water and generating 14 million MW/h of electricity per year. It has laid a 5,390km (3,370 mile) long pipeline network with 46 pumping stations to distribute desalinated water throughout the Kingdom. Energy Renewables and the Duck curve Last week, the US Department of Energy (DOE) hosted an Energy Optimized Desalination Technology Development Workshop for 100 invited attendees. The one and half day workshop was held in San Francisco with the purpose of providing DOE engineers with a better understanding of the technology advancements needed to reduce the economic and environmental costs for sustainable water desalination. The workshop was not limited to salinity reduction/ removal technology, it also included a review of ancillary and associated technologies needed to ensure that desal can be incorporated into existing environments. Me g w a t t s x 1 0 0 0 0 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 12am 3am 6am 6am 12pm 3pm 6pm 9pm 2020 2012 2013 2014 RYHUJHQHUDWLRQULVN ramp need ~13,000 MWin 3 hours 1HW/RDG±0DUFK Time of Day ,QÀH[LELOLW\ RFFXUV EHFDXVH VRODU SURGXFWLRQ SHDNV WRR early in the day to meet peak demand, and wind turbines often generate the most electricity at night when demand is ORZHVW+LJKO\LQÀH[LEOHJHQHUDWLRQGXULQJSHULRGVRIORZ demand translates to cheap or negative wholesale prices. 2019 Rate for one year: £305 or US$550. Subscribe and renew online at: www.desalination.com/wdr Reproduction or electronic distribution is forbidden. Subscribers may circulate their copy on their immediate premises. To email or create additional FRSLHVIRURWKHURI¿FHORFDWLRQVFRQWDFW-DNH*RPPH jg@globalwaterintel.com) to arrange a site license. Page 4WATER DESALINATION REPORT – 9 November 2015 project including a two-train UF system will produce 0.45 MGD (1,703 m3/d) of potable water for the communities of Raspberry Falls and Selma Estates in Loudon County, Virginia. California-based Sylvan Source has announced that it will collaborate with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to conduct a pilot study of its proprietary Core multi-stage distiller and degasser. Plans call for the unit WREHGHSOR\HGDWD86HOHFWULFXWLOLW\LQWKH¿UVWKDOIRI 2016 for the treatment of cooling tower blowdown. The pilot results will be published by EPRI. The heat exchanger division of Germany’s GEA Group AG has formed a standalone company named ‘Kelvion’. The name recognizes thermodynamics pioneer Lord Kelvin. More information is available at www.kelvion.com. ,QD4¿QDQFLDOUHSRUW6LQJDSRUHEDVHG+\ÀX[said that construction of the 411MW combined cycle power plant co-located at its Tuaspring Desal Plant in Singapore is on schedule and expected to be fully operational in early 2016. The company also reported that construction of its 200,000 m3/d Qurayyat SWRO project is now underway and scheduled to start commercial operation by May 2017. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Water and Electricity has increased the water price for industrial and commercial users to $2.40/m3 ($9.08/kgal), up from the current $1.07/ m3 NJDO DVWKHFRXQWU\¶VQDWLRQDO¿QDQFHVFRPH under increasing stress following the precipitous drop in oil prices. The price for residential customers, which averages just $0.03/m3 ($0.11/kgal), will remain at the same rate. Singapore’s PUB has awarded Black & Veatch a S$3.87 million ($2.75 million) contract to provide consultancy services on the 136,380 m3/d (36 MGD) Marina East SWRO plant. The plant could be operational within the QH[W¿YH\HDUV People Nanostone Water has announced the appointment of Chris King as vice president of sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Formerly the European sales director for Koch Membrane Systems, he will be based in Wiltshire, UK and may be contacted at chris.king@nanostone.com. Oglesby encouraged desalters to consider ways of pairing solar, wind and other renewable energy with desalination DVDEHQH¿FLDOQH[WVWHS In brief A private investor is seeking the opportunity to acquire the controlling interest or ownership of an existing brackish groundwater desalination facility, preferably in Texas or the southwestern US. The ideal plant would have a capacity of 0.25 to 3 MGD in industrial or municipal VHUYLFH &RQ¿GHQWLDO SURSRVDOV PD\ EH VHQW WRtnoel@ amaneadvisors.com. Online applications for the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) Scholarship for US Utility Leaders may be submitted beginning 16 November. The scholarship is available to active Water Environment Federation (WEF), Water Environment Federation Research Foundation (WERF) and National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) members who are currently employed as a General Manager or CEO in their home utilities board/ corporation. Utility leaders who are interested in, or have a working knowledge of smart water issues, water reuse, wastewater management and integrated urban water are also welcome to apply. Successful applicants may receive up to a full scholarship to attend SIWW that will cover travel, lodging and registration fees, which is valued at $6,000 to $8,000. In turn, they will write papers and make presentations in the US to share what they have learned in Singapore. For information, visit http://www.wef.org/ SIWWScholars/. LANXESS said its Bitterfeld, Germany, membrane production facilities are reaching capacity limits and the FRPSDQ\LVSODQQLQJDVLJQL¿FDQWFDSDFLW\H[SDQVLRQLQ the next year. Canada’s H2O Innovation has recently been awarded three UF projects with FiberFlex open platform skid GHVLJQYDOXHGDW PLOOLRQ7KHSURMHFWVLQFOXGHD¿YH WUDLQV\VWHPWR¿OWHU0*' P3/d) of Lake Texoma water to produce potable water for the City of 6KHUPDQ7H[DV$VHFRQGSURMHFWZLOO¿OWHUZDWHUIURPWKH South Santiam River to produce 4.5 MGD (17,032 m3/d) of potable water for the City of Lebanon, Oregon, while a third Water Desalination ReporT Tom Pankratz, Editor, P.O. Box 75064, Houston, Texas 77234-5064 USA Telephone: +1-281-857-6571, www.desalination.com/wdr, email: tp@globalwaterintel.com © 2015 Media Analytics. Published in cooperation with Global Water Intelligence. Volume 51, Number 48 The international weekly for desalination and advanced water treatment since 1965 21 December 2015 California 3DFLÀFRQ7DS Last Monday, Poseidon Water and the San Diego County Water Authority formally dedicated the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant. The 50 MGD (189,250 m3/d) SWRO plant was constructed by Kiewit-Shea Desalination and IDE Technologies, and has already delivered more than 1.5 billion gallons (5.6 million m3) of water into the local distribution system. The dedication, whose major sponsors included Arcadis US, IDE and Kiewit-Shea, was attended by approximately 600 guests. The event culminated in a ‘turning of the wheel’ to symbolize the start of water delivery. The plant’s name was NHSWFRQ¿GHQWLDOXQWLOWKHSURJUDPDQGZDVFKRVHQWRKRQRU the late Carlsbad Mayor Bud Lewis, who was instrumental in making Carlsbad the host city for the project. Washington DC A Moonshot for water A new US government initiative was unveiled at last week’s White House Roundtable of Water Innovation in Washington, DC. According to Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell, the public-private water innovation strategy will focus on encouraging technological advances and private- VHFWRULQYHVWPHQWWR¿QGQHZWHFKQRORJLHVWRUHF\FOHDQG conserve water. Informally known as the ‘moonshot for water’—echoing JFK’s moonshot speech and the Department of Energy’s 2011 SunShot Initiative to achieve solar cost parity without subsidies—the initiative’s goal is to achieve pipeline parity, where the economic and energy/carbon cost to deliver new water supplies is equivalent to conventional alternatives. The roundtable provided an opportunity for members of the desal industry, academia and federal/state/local governments to discuss how an aggressive innovation agenda can help meet the challenge of a constrained water supply in regions that will be affected by increasingly severe and lengthy droughts. Abbreviated end-of-year issue This 2-page edition will be the last WDR issue for 2015. We will return with a year-in-review issue on Tuesday, 5 January, and wish all readers Happy Holidays. Carlsbad photo courtesy of Karen Lindsey, Avista Technologies Poseidon CEO Carlos Rivas acknowledged the project partners, noting, “This pioneering project is the result of more than 17 years of planning, permitting and construction. It required teamwork between Poseidon Water, the Water Authority, our contractors, NRG Energy, and the cities of Carlsbad, Vista and San Marcos. Together, we are proud to provide a vital resource for the San Diego region.” Roundtable participants (from left): John Tonner (CWCO), Tom Wolfe (Toray), Amanda Brock (Water Standard), Tom Pankratz (WDR), Harold Fravel (AMTA) Page 2WATER DESALINATION REPORT – 21 December 2015 Plans to build the Haverstraw Desal Plant on the Hudson River, 35 miles (56km) north of New York City, were effectively killed last week, when the state’s Public Service Commission directed Suez’s United Water New York subsidiary to abandon the project. The plant, which would have desalted 7.5 MGD (28,385 m3/d) of water from the WLGDOO\LQÀXHQFHGULYHUZDV¿UVWSURSRVHGLQ$SLORW study was conducted in 2011, and the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation accepted the project’s draft environmental impact statement in January 2012. Sydney Water’s 250,000 m3/d (66 MGD) SWRO plant at Kurnell, which has been mothballed since 2012, was heavily damaged by a storm having winds of up to 213km/h (133 mph) last week. The storms blew off the roof of the control room and main building. The plant is not expected to be reactivated until reservoir levels, which now stand at 94 percent, are drawn down below 70 percent. One short- sighted politician suggested that the plant should now be completely shut down, rather than repaired. LG Water Solutions has released an update for its Q+ RO projection software. Version 2.3.2 features include the addition of tertiary-treated MF/UF and conventional IHHGZDWHUVRXUFHVDQGDXWRPDWLFDGMXVWPHQWRIÀRZORVVDQG salt passage increase. The software may be downloaded at http://tinyurl.com/zkph6no. Arizona-based Sweetwater Tech Resources (STR) has selected Water Planet as the technology provider for two UHJLRQDOSURGXFHGZDWHUUHF\FOLQJFHQWHUVQHDU%DNHUV¿HOG The Wasco and Lost Hills facilities will have production capacities of 19,000 and 95,238 bbl/d (3,030 and 15,140 m3/d), respectively. Water Planet said that it will furnish its modular IMS-5000 system, which incorporates up-front mechanical oil-water separation and slop oil dewatering to protect downstream ceramic UF membranes. The system is designed to replace primary (FWKO, treaters, coalescers, CPIs, skim tanks and electrostatic treaters), secondary ÀRWDWLRQ DQG K\GURF\FORQH WHFKQRORJLHV DQG WHUWLDU\ WHFKQRORJLHV ZDOQXWVKHOODQGPXOWLPHGLD¿OWUDWLRQ 675 will conduct pilot-scale demonstrations for area oil and gas producers and potential customers in early 2016. Secretary Jewell also announced that the Administration will bring together government and private sector stakeholder representatives on UN World Water Day, 22 March, to discuss ways in which the public-private water innovation strategy is making progress. It also launched a website (http://tinyurl.com/jqd3tvc) to solicit input and examples of progress and responses to the call-to-action. Selected announcements may be incorporated into White House materials in the coming months and the submitting organizations and relevant partners may be invited to participate in upcoming White House events on the topic. United States Reclamation to fund new projects Communities, Indian tribes, irrigation and water districts in seventeen western US states undertaking water reclamation or reuse feasibility studies are invited to participate in the WaterSMART grant opportunities. A total of up to $21 million in cost-shared funding is available for water FRQVHUYDWLRQ DQG HQHUJ\ HI¿FLHQF\ SURMHFWV$SSOLFDWLRQV may be submitted under one of two funding groups: Up to $300,000 will be available for smaller projects that may take up to two years to complete. Up to $1 million will be available for larger, phased projects that may take up to three years to complete. Proposals must seek to conserve and use water more HI¿FLHQWO\LQFUHDVHWKHXVHRIUHQHZDEOHHQHUJ\LPSURYH HQHUJ\ HI¿FLHQF\ EHQH¿W HQGDQJHUHG DQG WKUHDWHQHG species, facilitate water markets, carry out activities to address climate-related impacts on water, or prevent any ZDWHUUHODWHGFULVLVRUFRQÀLFW Proposals must be submitted by 20 January, and information is available at www.grants.gov using funding opportunity number R16-FOA-DO-004. In brief Only four days remain for the WateReuse Research Foundation’s Online Auction. You may place your bid now to help raise money for the Foundation. To view the catalog and place a bid, visit http://tinyurl.com/omh8jbx by 6:00 PM EDT on Thursday, 24 December. Rate for one year: £305 or US$550. Subscribe and renew online at: www.desalination.com/wdr Reproduction or electronic distribution is forbidden. Subscribers may circulate their copy on their immediate premises. To email or create additional FRSLHVIRURWKHURI¿FHORFDWLRQVFRQWDFW-DNH*RPPH jg@globalwaterintel.com) to arrange a site license. Water Desalination ReporT Volume 52, Number 7 The international weekly for desalination and advanced water treatment since 1965 15 February 2016 Company NewsDeveloper acquires desal OEM Grand Cayman-based Consolidated Water Company (CWCO) announced this morning that it has acquired 51 percent of the ownership of Aerex Industries, a Florida-based designer and manufacturer of water treatment equipment including MF/UF and RO treatment systems. CWCO CEO Rick McTaggart noted that Aerex has long been one of his firm’s suppliers whose equipment has been integral to the performance of some of CWCO’s most efficient and profitable desal plants. He added, “This acquisition of a majority interest in Aerex represents an important first step of the expansion of our business model into other water- related industries and markets…[it also] provides us with an operating platform in the United States through which we expect to continue to expand our customer base and product lines within the water industry.” Aerex’s unaudited 2015 revenues are estimated at over $19 million and the all cash deal is valued at $7.7 million. The acquisition includes Aerex’s 30,000 ft2 (2,787 m2) ASME and ANSI code-certified manufacturing and assembly facility that operates in accordance with strict quality assurance requirements in Fort Pierce, Florida. WDR understands that Aerex will continue to operate as a stand-alone subsidiary under the Aerex Global Water Solutions name with its existing management, led by its president Thomas Donnick. United StatesWater issues on political agenda Last week, the administration submitted its 2017 budget request to Congress, which included $260 million of new funding to increase the nation’s water supply through investment in technology. Some of the highlights include: • $98.6 million for Reclamation’s WaterSMART program to promote conservation initiatives and technology breakthroughs. • $4 million for USGS to assess water use during drought. • $28.6 million to support Reclamation’s R&D including $8.5 million for a technology challenge prize on ad- vanced, next-generation technologies and $5.8 million for desal and water purification. • $25 million for DOE to launch a new Energy-Water Desal Hub focused on developing technologies to reduce the cost, energy input and carbon emission levels. DOE would also invest nearly $20 million in complementary R&D on desal technologies relevant to fossil, CSP and geothermal applications. • $15 million for USDA intramural research water supplies to support agricultural production and irrigation practices that conserve water. • $88 million for NSF to support basic water research. The White House is hosting a water summit on UN World Water Day, 22 March, and will consider new activities and actions to raise awareness of water issues and potential solutions. Companies or organizations may be invited to participate in upcoming events on specific topics or have their announcements included into the White House materials. For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/jqd3tvc. Company NewsOilfield water treater gets backing Fountain Quail Management has announced that it has secured financial backing that will allow it to expand its North American produced water treatment business. According to CEO Rich Broderick, a private equity commitment of up to $40 million will enable it to continue treating and recycling produced and flowback water generated in oil and gas plays. Tom Pankratz, Editor, P.O. Box 75064, Houston, Texas 77234-5064 USA Telephone: +1-281-857-6571, www.desalination.com/wdr, email: tp@globalwaterintel.com © 2016 Media Analytics. Published in cooperation with Global Water Intelligence. GWI Summit in Abu Dhabi GWI will hold its annual GWI Summit in Abu Dhabi, UAE on 19-20 April. With the theme Water 2050: The Future is Now, the event is one of the world’s premier water events and attracts the industry’s top water executives. In addition to a dynamic conference agenda, which includes the Tech Idol event, the Summit will include a gala dinner in which the Global Water Awards will be presented by Felipe Calderón, the former President of Mexico and Chairman of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. A pre-Summit workshop will be held in association with the Produced Water Society, featuring technical presentations on produced water treatment and management and new technology updates. The event will be held at the Jumeirah Etihad Towers hotel. For more information go to www.watermeetsmoney.com. Page 2WATER DESALINATION REPORT – 15 February 2016 The company, which was founded in 1996 and is based in Keller, Texas, made a name for itself as the first commercial recycler of shale water in Texas’ Barnett Shale using its ‘Rover’ mobile treatment technology and ‘Nomad’ MVC evaporators. It also developed produced water treatment/ recycling projects in the Marcellus (Pennsylvania), Eagle Ford (South Texas) and Permian Basin (West Texas) shales. COO Brent Halldorson told WDR that the company recently deployed four Rover units with 40,000 bpd of recycling capacity in West Texas’ Delaware Basin to meet client frac schedules at multiple locations. In April 2015, Fountain Quail continued to operate as Aqua- Pure, the company’s Calgary-based parent, was de-listed from the Toronto stock exchange and re-organized. Company News Ceramic UF module Among the first-time exhibitors at the recent Membrane Technology Conference (MTC) was RODI Systems, a New Mexico-based supplier of pre-engineered membrane systems focused on the commercial and industrial market. Despite its 20-year history and broad membrane product line, the products featured at RODI’s stand at the MTC related to the company’s relatively recent appointment as the exclusive North American supplier of silicone carbide (SiC) ceramic MF/UF membrane products for Denmark’s Cembrane. According to Stan Lueck, RODI’s president, Cembrane’s SiC membrane is well-suited for many of RODI’s industrial customers with oily wastewater, and the addition of the product line has already resulted in the sale of a significant system in the western US. “A 3,200 m3/d [0.85 MGD] treatment system will be installed in March to treat oilfield produced water with a total solids concentration of 3.5 percent and a high scaling potential. The client selected the Cembrane system because of its ability to operate at such a high flux and withstand the harsh chemical cleaning that is expected to be required,” said Lueck. The flat-sheet SiC membrane module was developed by Cembrane CEO Lasse Andreassen, a founder of LiqTech International and its predecessor, Cometas. In late 2014, six months after retiring from LiqTech, Andreassen developed the patented flat sheet module that became the focal point of Cembrane’s product line. “The top and bottom of the 7.5m2 [81 ft2] submersible MF modules are open so that up to ten modules can be stacked in a tank. Each module includes an integrated permeate header that can be coupled to the adjacent module to simplify installation, and the channels between the vertically-oriented membranes allow for high solids loading and air scouring in MBR applications,” explained Andreassen. “We are able to operate with fluxes that range from 45 to 80 Lmh [26 to 47 GFD] in MBR applications up to 1,200 Lmh [706 GFD] for some low-solids groundwaters, with membrane lifetimes that exceed 10 years, regardless of the application or cleaning regime.” Lueck noted that in addition to offering completed systems with Cembrane membranes’ modules, RODI Systems also offers the modules and individual plates to OEMs interested in building their own systems. TechnologyCEOR model matches water quality, oilfield Traditional primary and secondary production approaches often yield less than half of the oil present in conventional reservoirs. Tertiary recovery methods such as Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (CEOR)—a waterflooding technique using water-based chemistries—may recover large volumes of the remaining oil, however, tertiary recovery becomes increasingly difficult to justify when oil prices drop. When considering CEOR, one of the most impactful economic tradeoffs to evaluate is the extent to which water should be treated to maximize value for operators. Two Texas-based companies, Water Standard and Ultimate EOR Services, have teamed up to address this challenge by developing a modeling tool that merges mechanistic simulation of oil reservoirs with best practices in water treatment to identify technically sound, cost effective CEOR strategies during early stages of program planning. Key outputs of the tool define trajectories of reservoir performance and net present value (NPV) economics. Operators evaluating CEOR can then compare designs with different attributes in terms of chemical, water treatment and facility requirements on an NPV basis. Module Stack 7.5m2 SiC Cembrane Membrane Module Page 3WATER DESALINATION REPORT – 15 February 2016 Water Standard’s Holly Churman and Lisa Henthorne unveiled the model at the Produced Water Society’s recent annual seminar, whose theme was “water treatment in a low dollar environment”. The presentation included a comparative case study for a representative Middle East oilfield, using produced water as the water supply. The planning challenge assumed an oil price of $45/bbl, a 6,000 bpd maximum injection rate, a sandstone reservoir and considered three scenarios: whether to implement a waterflood program with basic water treatment (filtration and de-oxygenation); a high-salinity and high-hardness produced water in a surfactant-polymer (SP) flood; or, to soften the water and add alkali in an alkali-surfactant- polymer (ASP) flood. Churman explained that since the ASP flood requires fewer chemicals than the SP flood, the evaluation had to consider whether the cost of softening the water was worth the advantages of adding alkali, and whether surfactant with a high salinity tolerance would recover oil more efficiently, and at a lower cost, than a basic waterflooding program. For the example exercise considered, the oil production and NPV trajectories for the three scenarios indicated that the ASP scenario would out-perform the competing programs, although SP production was quite close. From an economic perspective, the basic waterflood program would provide a one-year return on investment. However, for patient operators willing to take on more risk, the SP and ASP floods would offer a greater economic return between the second and third years. “This model clearly shows the value of treating water to a prescribed level that is most compatible with the ideal flood chemistry to optimize oil production. Planning tools like this are becoming more critical when making decisions in low oil price climates,” said Churman. Desal HistoryTed Darton: the good old days Editor’s Note: The co-founder of Genesys International has been active in the desal industry for 49 years. He’s one of that rare breed of desalters that has been involved in both the thermal and membrane sides of the industry. WDR asked him to share some of his career memories with readers: In 1967, Switzerland’s Geigy Chemical Company won a contract with the UK Atomic Energy Authority to develop a seawater antiscalant for high temperature MSF evaporators. Within six years, polymaleic acid had been synthesised, manufactured and pilot tested in Gibraltar and at Aminoil in Kuwait. Amidst great joy, the first commercial truckload was shipped from Manchester to Ras Abu Aboud, Qatar in early 1975. Thus began the amazing Belgard EV story and with it, my involvement in the desalination industry. My early days were spent visiting the world’s MSF plants and introducing Belgard EV. The big plants—which are small by today’s standards—included Aqua-Chem’s units in Jeddah and Al Khobar, Westinghouse’s plant at Zuara, Libya and four Weir Westgarth units in Abu Dhabi, which were the responsibility of Superintendent Ian McGregor. During one of my regular meetings with Weir Westgarth’s Bill Querns in Glasgow, I was introduced to Professor Bob Silver, the inventor of the modern MSF system who was lecturing at Glasgow University and consulting for Weir. For many years Glasgow University ran an MsC Engineering degree course under the tutelage of Dr Bill Hanbury, attended by many young engineers from the rapidly expanding Middle East desal markets. On the other side of the Atlantic, Dr Bob Backish ran a desalination course at Fairleigh Dickinson University and I was pleased to be a guest speaker at their summer camp at St Croix in the US Virgin Islands; it was tough duty, but somebody had to do it! By 1977, Ciba-Geigy appointed Rashid Abdel Ghani to develop the Middle East and North African desal markets. We spent many happy days promoting Belgard EV through the region, working with Jamjoom Corporation in Saudi Arabia, Sultan Bin Rashid in Dubai, Sogex in Oman and in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. During this time, I met two true gentlemen, Tom Temperley, the president of Conam in Jeddah, and Abbas Al Shatti the owner of Al-Salem Chemicals, our Kuwaiti agent. Interestingly, Tom and Abbas had collaborated on the development of Salvep, a low temperature desal antiscalant used in the early 70s. During this time, I spent a week setting up an antiscalant trail at the USSR Nuclear Reactor plant in Shevchenko on the Caspian Sea. This was an extremely worrisome trip for me. In the midst of the Cold War, this nervy little Brit was working at one of the USSR’s front line nuclear plants. Fortunately, my ability to consume large quantities of vodka with no visible ill effect resulted in a warm rapport with the operating crew. In those early days, competition was limited to commodity polyphosphate, sulphuric acid and Albright and Wilsons’ Albivap products. Most of the faces from these times have sadly passed away or retired, although a few such as Ian Watson, Leon Awerbach and Miriam Balaban remain ever present. While attending the 1989 IDA World Congress as Houseman’s general manager, I saw many old MFS friends, but was amazed to see that membranes had overtaken MSF as ‘flavour of the month’. This was unexpected, as I had Rate for one year: £305 or US$550. Subscribe and renew online at: www.desalination.com/wdr Reproduction or electronic distribution is forbidden. Subscribers may circulate their copy on their immediate premises. To email or create additional copies for other office locations, contact Jake Gomme (jg@globalwaterintel.com) to arrange a site license. Page 4WATER DESALINATION REPORT – 15 February 2016 any of the following areas: the discovery, development, improvement and/or understanding of issues associated with water quality, quantity, technology or public policy. Nominations are due on 1 April and details are available at www.nwri-usa.org/nominations.htm. Procurement of the 400,000 m3/d (106 MGD) Jeddah 4 SWRO project is understood to have been put on hold following the submission of bids. It appears that Saudi Arabia’s Saline Water Conversion Corp (SWCC) may be considering retendering the project, which was being developed on a design-build basis, using a privately-financed contract model. Black & Veatch is the SWCC’s engineer on the project. Companies and consortia who are understood to be interested in ing in the developer role for the proposed Rosarito seawater desalination project in Baja California in Mexico include: NSC Agua/CWCO; Hydrochem (Hyflux)/CGM Servicios; Valoriza Agua; Acciona Agua; Proactiva (Veolia); IDE Technologies; FCC Aqualia; Constructora los Potros; and Grupo Financiero Interacciones. WDR has not been able to confirm whether all of the interested companies have been pre-qualified to submit bids on the 380,000 m3/d (100 MGD) SWRO project, which are due on 23 March. Errata: The Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the WateReuse Association will participate along with the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) to jointly host the 2018 Membrane Technology Conference (MTC) in West Palm Beach, Florida on 12-15 March 2018. Last week’s WDR incorrectly said that WEF and WateReuse would participate in the 2017 MTC. People CDM Smith has named Greg Wetterau, a vice president with the firm, as its technical strategy leader for water reuse and desalination. He is based in southern California and may be contacted at WetterauGD@cdmsmith.com. Chad Dannemann has been appointed as business development manager for Desalitech. Formerly with Ashbrook Simon-Hartley, which is now part of Alfa Laval, he is based in Houston, Texas, and may be contacted at chad. dannemann@desalitech.com. previously reported to my bosses that “membranes had very little future unless the water was extensively and expensively pre-treated”. How wrong can you be? It was exciting to see membranes making such strong commercial progress and I managed to persuade House- man’s directors that RO chemicals were the next big thing. Fortunately, Paterson Candy, a DuPont licensee, was a sister company. Our collaborative work investigating cleaners for the Permasep permeators resulted in the development of an antiscalant, rather than a cleaner, designated PermaTreat 191 and introduced to the market in 1991. The PermaCare marketing policy for RO antiscalants was an updated version of the same successful marketing policy used 20 years earlier to promote MSF antiscalants; nothing much had changed. Having retired from the water treatment industry, Ursula Annunziata and I set up Genesys International in 2001, and it has been an exhilarating challenge for the past 15 years. I met Sidney Loeb at an EDS meeting in 2005 and count myself most fortunate to be one of the few people who has met the inventors of both the RO membrane and the MSF process. Lucky indeed! The rest is history, though rapidly dimming in the memory. — Ted Darton, February, 2016 In brief Boston-based Desalitech said that it has furnished two ReFlex RO systems to the Atlanta-based Novelis’ aluminum sheet manufacturing facility in Changzhou, China. The two 50 GPM (3.2 L/s) BWRO units will be operated in series as a two-pass system with an overall 90 percent recovery to provide permeate with a TDS of less than 1 mg/L for use as high-purity process water and cooling tower makeup. The units, which employ Desalitech’s Closed Circuit Desalination process, are part of a ZLD system and will minimize the flow to a downstream evaporator. Desalitech CEO Rick Stover told WDR that the units are scheduled for startup next month. The National Water Research Institute is now accepting nominations for its 23rd Annual Clarke Prize, which includes a cash prize of $50,000 and rewards scholarly and practical achievements in water research. The Prize acknowledges an individual actively contributing toward Second desalination plant for Baja California First public private venture in the state (/staff/sandra-dibble/) By Sandra Dibble (/staff/sandra-dibble/) | 3:58 p.m. March 7, 2016 Baja California Gov. Francisco Vega de Lamadrid, at center in beige jacket, presides at a groundbreaking ceremony in the community of La Chorera, site of desalination plant set to open in 2017 to supply residents in the San Quintin agricultural region. — Gob. de Baja California TIJUANA — A New York City-based company working with two Mexican partners has launched construction of an ocean water desalination plant in the agricultural region of San Quintin some 160 miles from the San Diego border. Scheduled to open in the summer of 2017, the plant would provide 5.8 million gallons of water daily to more than 100,000 residents of the region. The cost of the project is about $32 million at current exchange rates. It is the first to be approved under Baja California’s new public- private partnership law. “This would not have been possible without this new very important tool that we have in Baja California,” Baja California Gov. Francisco Vega de Lamadrid said at a groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday. The financing and construction of the facility is being carried out by a consortium made up of RWL Water Group (http://www.rwlwater.com) and two Mexican partners, Libra Ingenieros Civiles and R.J. Ingenieria. Under the agreement, the group would operate the plant for 30 years. RWL Water’s founder and chairman is Ronald S. Lauder, a former U.S. ambassador to Austria who also served as the president of the World Jewish Congress. San Quintin is an important agricultural region that specializes in export-oriented produce, such as strawberries, tomatoes and cucumbers. But unlike other areas of Baja California, it does not receive water from the Colorado River and has struggled with a limited water supply. Page 1 of 2Second desalination plant for Baja California | SanDiegoUnionTribune.com 3/8/2016http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/mar/07/san-quintin-desalination-plant/all/?print The future facility, located in the fishing community of La Chorera, is one of two desalination plants now under construction in Baja California. A similar-sized reverse-osmosis plant in the port city of Ensenada is scheduled for opening in April 2017. The state of Baja California also has been pursuing the possibility of a public-private partnership to build a third desalination plant with a capacity for 100 million gallons a day, with the possibility of selling some of that water to U.S. consumers. sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com © Copyright 2016 The San Diego Union-Tribune. All rights reserved. Page 2 of 2Second desalination plant for Baja California | SanDiegoUnionTribune.com 3/8/2016http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/mar/07/san-quintin-desalination-plant/all/?print Lawsuits cloud bid to build Rosarito desalination plant Project would be largest in Western Hemisphere (/staff/sandra-dibble/) By Sandra Dibble (/staff/sandra-dibble/) | 9 a.m. March 13, 2016 The Presidente Juarez thermoelectric plant in Rosarito Beach, a key component in proposals to build a seawater desalination plant. San Diego County Water Authority It would be a ground-breaking project for Baja California, the largest desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere, situated on the Pacific Ocean in a corner of Rosarito Beach — and could one day serve as a supply for water consumers in San Diego County as well. But as a critical deadline approaches, two partners in the group that proposed the 100 million-gallon-a-day facility are bitterly at odds, suing each other in U.S. and Mexican courts. On one side is San Diego resident Gough Thompson, an early champion of the desalination project who claims his partners illegally sidelined him starting in February 2012, effectively reducing his shares from 25 percent to 0.1 percent without his knowledge or consent. At age 86, and just three months out of double-bypass heart surgery, he is demanding that his original shares be restored. “They viewed setting him aside as an easy thing to do,” said Thompson’s Mexican attorney, Roberto Vega, saying his client’s age led them his partners to underestimate him. “They wanted complete control of the company.” On the other side are his current and former partners. One is Baja California businessman Alejandro de la Vega, who was bought out in 2014. The other is the Cayman Islands company, Consolidated Water Co., which now controls 99.9 percent of the shares in NSC Agua, the Mexican company it formed in 2010 with Thompson and de la Vega to develop the Rosarito desalination proposal. Consolidated Water Chief Executive Rick McTaggart said no laws were violated by his company, accusing Thompson of breaching an April 2012 agreement that included a “large settlement” that released NSC Agua from future claims. “Thompson is clearly after money, and has brought these claims at a critical time in the project expecting us to capitulate,” said McTaggart. Page 1 of 3Lawsuits cloud bid to build Rosarito desalination plant | SanDiegoUnionTribune.com 3/14/2016http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/mar/13/lawsuits-rosarito-desalination-plant/all/?print Despite the continuing legal issues, NSC Agua is preparing to submit its bid under Baja California’s new public-private partnership law to build, finance and operate the giant facility, with the first phase scheduled for opening in 2019 and full buildout by 2024. State officials say seven groups have expressed initial interest, with final proposals due by March 23, and the winner scheduled to be announced in May. The plant would be the third utility-scale desalination plant to come online in Baja California, following the scheduled 2017 opening of two smaller ones farther down the Pacific coast, the first in the port city of Ensenada and the second in the agricultural region of San Quintin. The Rosarito plant (http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2014/aug/24/rosarito-Mexico-desalination-plant-binational/) would be a project of unprecedented scale for the state, and a test of the public-private partnership law adopted in 2014. “It’s a very important project,” Baja California Gov. Francisco Vega de Lamadrid said at a recent presentation of state infrastructure plans — a project that would expand Tijuana’s water supply, and decrease its near-total reliance on water deliveries from the Colorado River. Baja California’s largest city, Tijuana currently exceeds its allocation of Colorado River water, and gets by through the purchase of water rights from Mexicali farmers, said German Lizola, director of the Baja California Water Commission. Though Baja California officials say the intent of the plant is to meet the state’s needs, authorities also have been in talks with the Otay Water District in San Diego County, which has expressed interest in purchasing some of the water once the project moves forward to its second phase. “We’re still pursuing it,” said Mark Watton, general manager of the Otay Water District. The district has sought a presidential permit to build a cross-border pipeline to carry up to 50 million gallons per day from Mexico to California. Baja California’s secretary of economic development, Carlo Bonfante, “seems to want to have Otay as an offtaker,” Watton said. “We need to see what happens with the presidential permit.” At this point, plans for the plant continue to move forward. Lizola, the head of the Baja California Water Commission, said any litigation taking place among partners in NSC Agua “is not a matter for the state.” The government’s concern is the bidding process, he said: “It’s a public tender, and we have to follow all the established steps.” Thompson’s original legal action in Baja California dates to June 2015, when he filed suit against Consolidated Water, de la Vega, and others, challenging the actions that increased Consolidated Water’s ownership interest, and demanding the suspension of transactions made at a Feb. 8, 2012, shareholders meeting that led to the changes. Upon learning of the Mexican litigation last fall, Consolidated Water filed a suit against Thompson in New York City, asking the judge to issue an injunction preventing the continuation of the Baja California lawsuit. Documents filed in the New York case speak to origins of the dispute. Thompson’s involvement in the project dates to 2008, with the incorporation of EWG Water LLC, “to sponsor a consortium to design, build and operate a large-scale desalination plant at Rosarito Beach,” according to his affidavit filed in New York federal court. Though he had never done a project in Mexico, Thompson came with years of experience forming international consortium projects in the Middle East, where he advised U.S. companies working in Saudi Arabia during the desert kingdom’s initial desalination efforts, the affidavit said. For the Rosarito project, Thompson formed a partnership with Mexican businessman Alejandro de la Vega. One of the first moves was to contact the Otay Water District, Thompson said in the court document, and in 2009, they received a letter of intent from the district “to purchase 25 million gallons a day of desalinated water,” the affidavit said. Moving forward, they contacted Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission, which operates the Presidente Juarez thermoelectric plant in Rosarito Beach, “to buy power and secure exclusive rights to its spent cooling water,” according to the affidavit, and launched the process of land acquisition for the desalination plant. After spending close to $500,000 of his own money, Thompson said he searched for a partner that could bring in more funding. Through an Internet search, he found found Consolidated Water, “a publicly traded, Cayman Islands owner-operator for four desalination plants” with cash reserves of about $40 million, according to the affidavit. In 2010, they formed a partnership with Consolidated Water, creating NSC Agua “to serve as the new project vehicle.” Under the new agreement, Thompson and de la Vega controlled half the shares, with Consolidated Water holding the other half. In late 2011, de la Vega proposed splitting off his shares from Thompson’s, with each controlling 25 percent. Thompson “agreed to do so, with the strict instruction that the newly minted 25 percent certificates must be placed in escrow and released only upon our joint approval. Otherwise we would lose our 50 percent voting bloc” of NSC Agua, Thompson’s affidavit read. Page 2 of 3Lawsuits cloud bid to build Rosarito desalination plant | SanDiegoUnionTribune.com 3/14/2016http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/mar/13/lawsuits-rosarito-desalination-plant/all/?print But in February 2012 “and entirely unknown to me at the time,” de la Vega and Consolidated Water “signed a secret agreement,” obtaining de la Vega’s voting rights and an option to purchase de la Vega’s shares by February 2014, according to Thompson’s affidavit. But Consolidated Water’s account of events, in an Securities and Exchange Commission filing late last year said it paid $300,000 in February 2012 and entered into a “option agreement” with de la Vega, “along with an immediate power of attorney to vote those shares, for $1 million.” In May 2013, NSC issued new shares, and a result, “acquired 99.9 percent of the ownership of NSC,” according to its SEC filing from November that is posted on its website. “We were looking for a path to break this logjam that we were in at the time with the partnership,” McTaggart said in an interview. “My recollection is that Thompson tried to buy us out, and we were talking at the same time with de la Vega about buying him out. Ultimately, we got to the finish line faster with de la Vega.” McTaggart said Thompson was paid more than $500,000 by NSC Agua, “including a large settlement in 2012” in exchange for releasing Consolidated Water and its subsidiary “from all future claims for the events that occurred at the Feb. 8, 2012, meeting,” he said. By suing in Mexico, “Thompson clearly breached that release.” Thompson’s former partner, de la Vega, could not be located. Roberto Vega, Thompson’s attorney, said the April 2012 agreement that his client signed “simply terminated a consulting agreement between the parties.” Last month, a judge in the New York case denied Consolidated Water’s petition, ruling that the dispute should be settled in Mexico. Consolidated Water is asking the judge to reconsider. McTaggart said he is not giving in to Thompson’s demands, and is preparing to submit NSC Agua’s bid for the project. “We think it’s going to be a fantastic project for the region if it’s ultimately completed.” © Copyright 2016 The San Diego Union-Tribune. All rights reserved. Page 3 of 3Lawsuits cloud bid to build Rosarito desalination plant | SanDiegoUnionTribune.com 3/14/2016http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/mar/13/lawsuits-rosarito-desalination-plant/all/?print Water Desalination ReporT Volume 52, Number 11 The international weekly for desalination and advanced water treatment since 1965 14 March 2016 Oman A new week, Another new SWRO IWP Last Tuesday, for the second week in a row, Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) signed a water purchase agreement for a major seawater desalination project. The 250,000 m3/d (66 MGD) Sohar 3 Independent Water Project (IWP) was awarded to a consortium that includes Valoriza Agua (51%), the Oman Brunei Investment Company (25%) and Sogex Oman (24%). The award was based on the team’s winning bid, which was quoted at a water tariff of OMR0.32/m3 ($0.83/m3; $3.22/kgal). The plant will be located 200km (125 mi) north of Muscat on the Batinah Coast, and is scheduled to begin supplying water in 2018. Fichtner is supporting the client as technical advisor. The project will include a 150,000 m3/d (40 MGD) SWRO plant and a 457 MW combined cycle gas turbine power plant. Hyflux estimated the total value of its EPC contract at $500 million, and said that it would be awarded a 25-year contract to operate and maintain the plant. The company gave no indication of when a formal contract might be signed, nor when the desalination or power plant might be commissioned. CaliforniaSWRO water declared ‘drought-resilient’ State regulators certified the water supply from the Carlsbad Desal Plant as drought-resilient, reducing the regional impacts of emergency water-use mandates the state imposed in June 2015. The State Water Resources Control Board’s certification lowers the regional aggregate water conservation goal from 20 percent to about 13 percent, though water-use targets will continue to vary by local water agency. Vallecitos Water District, the only retail water provider with a direct connection to the Carlsbad plant, will have its conservation target dropped to 16 percent compared to its previously mandated 24 percent reduction in potable water use. The District receives up to 4,083 AFY (13,800 m3/d) of desalted water from the plant. Some environmental groups have opposed giving local governments credit for new supplies on the basis that it will discourage conservation. However, Bob Yamada, the director of water resources for the San Diego County Water Authority, told WDR that the 50 MGD (189,250 m3/d) desal plant is a major component of the area’s water portfolio, and reduces the reliance on imported water. “Water-use efficiency is critical because we don’t know how long the current drought will last or when the next one will happen, but the reduced conservation targets begin to recognize our local communities’ investment in the Claude ‘Bud’ Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, which is a buffer against drought. It provides increased flexibility for residents to deep-water trees, maintain living landscapes in the summer and preserve fire-safe buffers around homes, Tom Pankratz, Editor, P.O. Box 75064, Houston, Texas 77234-5064 USA Telephone: +1-281-857-6571, www.desalination.com/wdr, email: tp@globalwaterintel.com © 2016 Media Analytics. Published in cooperation with Global Water Intelligence. Sacyr, Valoriza Agua and Sadyt – Who’s whom? When reporting on stories involving the captioned companies, it is not always clear as to which one should be credited. WDR has therefore taken the liberty of defining the relationships as follows: • Sacyr (pronounced saa-seer) is a multinational infrastructures and services company listed on Spain’s Ibex 35 index. • Valoriza Agua was founded in 2005, and is the entity under which Sacyr’s water activities—water management, engineering, construction and operation & maintenance—are grouped. • Sadyt (pronounced saa-deet) was founded in 1995, and is the Sacyr water treatment company specializing in the design, construction and operations of RO and EDR desalination projects around the world. Sadyt and Valoriza Agua are sometimes used interchangeably. EgyptLOI for IWPP announced Singapore’s Hyflux has announced that it received a letter of intent (LOI) from the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) to construct the Ain Sokhna Integrated Water and Power Project (IWPP) in Egypt. This would be the first IWPP to be undertaken in Egypt. Page 2WATER DESALINATION REPORT – 14 March 2016 and gives breathing room for businesses to expand water- efficient production,” said Yamada. The State Board may make additional adjustments to its water-use mandate based on how El Niño conditions affect state and local water supplies over the next several months. While the Sierra snowpack is better than in recent years, it would need to be around 150 percent of normal for the state to emerge from the drought, according to officials at the California Department of Water Resources. IsraelDeveloper buys out SWRO plant partner IDE Technologies has acquired full ownership of the 347,945 m3/d Hadera Desalination Plant after paying Shikun & Binui NIS80 million ($20.7 million) for its 40 percent stake in the operating company. Shikun & Binui said that an additional sum would be paid in the future based on the volumes of water produced during the remainder of the 25-year BOT contract, which extends through 2032. The 347,945 m3/d (92 MGD) SWRO plant was originally constructed by an IDE and Shikun & Binui consortium at a cost of NIS1.5 billion ($387 million) and was commissioned in May 2010. At the end of 2014, the outstanding loan balance for the project totaled a reported NIS1.1 billion ($284 million). Renewable Energy PV-powered desal report available Abundant solar resources, combined with large amounts of brackish groundwater, can make the coupling of solar power and desalination an attractive water supply alternative in areas without access to grid electricity. Julie Korak, an environmental engineer with the Bureau of Reclamation’s Technical Service Center in Denver, Colorado, and the co-author of a Reclamation report entitled Evaluation of PV-Powered RO Systems for Desalination of Brackish Groundwater, recently presented a webinar that summarized the study’s findings. Her presentation reviewed field test work in which a photovoltaic-powered RO (PVRO) unit was operated at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Alamogordo, New Mexico, and the Denver Federal Center. During the tests, desalination performance and global horizontal irradiance (GHI) measurements were taken at different PV panel bearings and inclination angles to develop a data analysis method that accounts for differences in solar position and geographic location. According to Dr. Korak, “There is a need to develop a standardized yet simple methodology for relating desal- ination performance to solar energy input. The proposed methodology helps provide a common benchmark to compare solar-powered desal systems in different geographic locations and under different solar irradiance conditions.” Funding is being sought for future work to expand the methodology to solar thermal systems. The report may be downloaded at http://tinyurl.com/zysz5at. Company NewsTexas firm focuses on membrane cleaning Throughout his 40-year desalting career, Stuart Mitchell spent most of his time in the field—the first 15 years in operations and service roles and the rest as a sales engineer with large membrane and chemical companies. During that time, he saw many opportunities fall through the cracks. Some projects were either too small or too specialized to attract a larger company’s attention, while other sites were simply too far off the beaten path for an out-of-town sales engineer to visit. “The number of small RO installations in the Gulf Coast region keeps growing, and many of the facilities can’t afford a dedicated maintenance staff or don’t have experienced RO plant operators. When membranes become fouled, the staff doesn’t know how to do an effective CIP [clean-in-place], and often ends up throwing away elements that still have a lot of useful life left in them,” Mitchell told WDR. “About six years ago, I realized that there were enough of these projects to support a company specialized in servicing them…so I started Membrane Services. Although we have clients as far away as California and Florida, over 90 percent of our business is in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.” Besides trouble-shooting, overhauling and retrofitting small to mid-size RO systems, the company performs onsite membrane cleaning with its 24-foot trailer-mounted CIP system. It also serves as a distributor for several RO membrane and chemical companies, but its primary activity is its offsite RO membrane cleaning service, including the cleanings it does for OEMs who don’t have the equipment or capabilities to do it themselves. Mitchell says that his technicians can usually complete an onsite membrane cleaning project faster, and with better results, than almost any plant operator. However, to ensure optimum cleaning results, Membrane Services prefers to perform membrane cleanings offsite, at their own state-of- the-art cleaning facility in Montgomery, Texas, near Houston. Page 3WATER DESALINATION REPORT – 14 March 2016 “Membranes aren’t cheap and they must be handled properly. We’ve cleaned thousands of elements and have found that offsite cleaning is the best way to restore them to as close to original performance as possible. We can provide labor to remove the membranes, arrange transportation and provide the owner with pre- and post-cleaning tests on every element. We also can provide and install interim membranes if required. “And when a plant decides to replace their membranes, we’re often able to clean the discarded membranes and recycle them so they can be kept as backups, or sold to another facility instead of being sent to a landfill.” “Big companies often act like a super tanker that is slow and deliberate, and unable to maneuver in smaller ports, whereas we consider ourselves to be a speed boat; we can respond quickly and efficiently, and no installation is too small,” he concluded. Membrane Services currently focuses on RO installations, although Mitchell said that they are beginning to see more interest from MF/UF plant operators. TechnologyWater-from-air device wins award Every few weeks, a new company seems to be promoting another water-from-air generator. Although usually touted as sustainable, low-energy, environmentally friendly affordable solutions to the world’s water crisis, none of the systems reviewed by WDR have come close to living up to their claims. Most are simply glorified humidifiers designed for household or personal use, and their performance is highly dependent on the ambient wet-bulb temperature. Though they do offer some level of convenience—they don’t require an intake or concentrate disposal—the specific energy consumption and cost of water are always much higher than conventional desal processes. In 2011, a water-from-air generator developed for use in irrigation applications won an annual engineering award sponsored by James Dyson, the British vacuum cleaner designer. The ‘Airdrop’ device consisted of a small turbine intake that its inventor said would drive atmospheric air underground where it would be cooled to the point that water would condense and irrigate plant roots. Last year, another water-to-air generator was a Dyson Award finalist. An Austrian student inventor developed the ‘Fontus Ryde’ self-filling water bottle, and is about to launch a crowdfunding campaign to commercialize the product. The Fontus Ryde includes a small two-part, solar-powered Peltier cooler, which creates a heat flux between an air intake chamber and a baffled condensation chamber as the bicycle moves forward “at a high speed”, and condensed water flows into an attached water bottle. A Membrane Services test skid While riding during a sunny day, at a temperature of 20°C (68°F) and 50 percent humidity, the unit should be able to produce about 0.8L (27 oz) of water per hour—a rate that doesn’t seem adequate to keep the rider hydrated. Although the device contains a filter to prevent dust particles and insects from getting into the water, it doesn’t contain any purification provisions, and may not be suitable for use in highly polluted areas. Fontus Ryde installation depiction Association News Regional winners announced The Northwest Membrane Operators Association (NWMOA) has announced the winners in the outstanding membrane plant and membrane plant operator categories as follows: Outstanding Large Membrane Plant: The city of Bozeman, Montana’s Hyalite/Sourdough Water Treatment Plant. The 22 MGD (83,270 m3/d) surface water plant employs MF membranes, was designed by HDR and was commissioned in July 2014. Rate for one year: £305 or US$550. Subscribe and renew online at: www.desalination.com/wdr Reproduction or electronic distribution is forbidden. Subscribers may circulate their copy on their immediate premises. To email or create additional copies for other office locations, contact Jake Gomme (jg@globalwaterintel.com) to arrange a site license. Page 4WATER DESALINATION REPORT – 14 March 2016 membrane module. The modules are available for pressurized UF applications with an outside-in flow arrangement in two sizes: a 1,000mm long module with 35m2 (376 ft2) of membrane area and a 1,000mm long module with 70m2 (753 ft2) of membrane area. Both units have a 250mm diameter and a nominal MWCO of 150,000 Daltons. Australia’s Osmoflo has been awarded a contract to supply an integrated UF/RO system to treat wastewater from the Stone & Wood Brewery in northeastern New South Wales. The system will reclaim water for use in the facilities’ boilers and cooling towers. Osmoflo also said that this has secured a contact to provide O&M support of existing water treatment system at the Oaky Number 1 underground mine in central Queensland. The support will include dedicated on-site technicians and remote, 24-hour monitoring. WDR and GWI subscribers, as well as individual members of the IDA and early registrants for the Global Water Summit will be emailed a unique URL to vote for the Global Water Award winners from the shortlist at http:// globalwaterawards.com/2016-shortlist. Voting will close on 6 April and winners will be announced at the Global Water Awards Gala Dinner on 19 April in Abu Dhabi. The awards will be presented by Felipe Calderón, former President of Mexico and the Chairman of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. People Veteran desalter Chris Martin, formerly a senior process engineer at Water Standard, is entertaining opportunities to apply his water quality and treatment expertise in the municipal or oilfield arenas. He may be contacted at waterfixer@att.net. Jobs Water Planet, Inc, a global supplier of high-performance membrane based water treatment solutions, seeks a Vice President & General Manager for its IntelliFlux™ Systems & Services business unit. The ideal candidate possesses a proven track record of successfully managing multiple business initiatives in a start-up environment including business development, revenue generation and strategic partnerships development and management, with at least 10 years of marketing and/or sales experience and P&L responsibility. Submit resumes to info@waterplanet.com. Outstanding Small Membrane Plant: The Eastern Idaho Regional Wastewater Treatment Authority’s Oxbow Wastewater Treatment Plant. This plant has a 2 MGD (7,570 m3/d) design capacity, employs an Evoqua MBR and is located in Shelley, Idaho. Outstanding Membrane Plant Operator: Andrew Albee, the city of Myrtle Creek, Oregon. In brief Breaking News: WDR understands that Stantec Corp, a publicly traded, Canadian consulting firm and MWH Global, an employee-owned, Colorado-based consultant are involved in high-level talks about a possible acquisition/ merger. No further details were available at press time. Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim has launched a full takeover bid of Spain’s Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas SA (FCC), one of the country’s largest construction groups and the parent company of aqualia, a water management and desalination company. Inversora Carso, Slim’s holding company, already owns more than 36 percent of FCC, which has a market cap of €2.9 billion ($3.2 billion). Last week, it offered €7.60 ($8.48) a share, representing a 15 percent premium, to buy the remainder of the company. FCC aqualia is one of the companies reported to be interested in the Rosarito SWRO project that is set to bid next week. The Southwest Membrane Operator Association (SWMOA) will host a workshop entitled, Operating Membranes at an Advanced Water Recycling Plant, on 12 April in San Jose, California. For info, visit http://tinyurl.com/zwcsz9o. Akkim Water Solutions, a Turkish water treatment chemicals business and subsidiary of Akkök Holding, has announced its introduction into the low-pressure water filtration market with a modified PVDF hollow fiber UF Oxbow Wastewater Treatment Plant Water Desalination ReporT Volume 52, Number 12 The international weekly for desalination and advanced water treatment since 1965 21 March 2016 GWI Water SummitTechnology idol lineup set Participants have now been chosen for the ninth annual Technology Idol event, which showcases early stage, desalination-related technologies, and will be held on Tuesday, 19 April, in conjunction with GWI’s Global Water Summit (www.watermeetsmoney.com) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The participants will be: D&D Manufacturing Dale Polk, the director of operations and inventor, will present the company’s CSMED solar-powered desalination system employing a parabolic trough with an integrated multiple effect, multistage flash evaporation system to produce fresh water. Econopure CEO Daniel Bertram will present the company’s LFNano, low-fouling nanofiltration system, which employs an open channel membrane configuration with an operational sequence that includes membrane coating, internal recirculation and a rest cycle for high- solids applications. Membran-Filtrations-Technik (MFT) Andreas Flach, the managing director, will present the company’s new, circular disc RO module that can be operated at pressures up to 140 bar (2,030 psi) to treat feedwater with a total dissolved solids concentration of up to 100,000 mg/L. Nano Water Structures Allan Pronovost, the company’s chief science officer, will present the company’s proprietary process, which employs a powered nanomaterial and clathrate hydrate chemistry, to desalinate seawater, concentrated brines or produced water. Water Planet CEO Eric Hoek will present the company’s Intelliflux automated, self-adaptive process control technology for low- and high-pressure membrane and granular media filtration systems to optimize recovery, process uptime and media life. Each participant will give a brief presentation describing their organization’s innovative new technology and its plans for commercialization, after which a panel will ask follow- up questions. After the presentations, an audience vote will select the technology that it believes has the highest probability of fulfilling the presenter’s expectations. MexicoBid date extended for mega-project Late last week, the state government of Mexico’s Baja California extended the bid deadline for the Rosarito Desalination Project from 23 March until 21 April. The extension is believed to have been granted so that the state can complete the mandatory Q&A process and finalize some revisions to the regulations associated with newly instituted Asociaciones Público Privadas (APP) public-private partnership laws. When considering the unknown scope of changes, and that the coming Easter holidays will effectively shut down government activities for one week, one wonders if another delay is inevitable. Teams understood to have been pre-qualified to bid on the 380,000 m3/d (100 MGD) SWRO project, which will be located near CFE’s Rosarito Power Station, include NSC Agua/CWCO; Hydrochem (Hyflux)/CGM Servicios; Valoriza Agua; Acciona Agua; Proactiva (Veolia); IDE Technologies; FCC Aqualia; Constructora los Potros; and Grupo Financiero Interacciones. Mexico Project kicks off before financial closure A consortium led by New York-based RWL Water and including Libra Ingenieros Civiles and RJ Ingeniería, has begun work on the 22,000 m3/d (5.8 MGD) San Quintín SWRO project, in Baja California, Mexico. The plant will be the first project to be delivered under the state of Baja California’s new Asociaciones Público Privadas (APP) public-private partnership laws. Miki Tramer, RWL’s vice president of business development and a veteran in the Caribbean and Latin American desal Tom Pankratz, Editor, P.O. Box 75064, Houston, Texas 77234-5064 USA Telephone: +1-281-857-6571, www.desalination.com/wdr, email: tp@globalwaterintel.com © 2016 Media Analytics. Published in cooperation with Global Water Intelligence. Page 2 of 2WATER DESALINATION REPORT – 21 March 2016 markets, told WDR that although the $32 million project has not yet reached financial closure, they are jump-starting the engineering and design work, adding, “We have signed the APP agreement with the offtaker [Comisión Estatal del Agua de Baja California], and have a valid guarantee structure in place. Everything is in line with the lender’s requirements with whom we are currently negotiating.” The preliminary plans for the project, which is located 250km (156 miles) south of the US/Mexico border, call for using pressurized multimedia filters to pretreat feedwater for the six SWRO trains. The plant is expected to begin operation in the second half of 2017. Jordan EOI submission date extended Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MWI), through the Jordan Valley Authority, has extended the deadline for the purchase of pre-qualification documents for the Red Sea-Dead Sea project until 30 March, the same date as the deadline for submission of the completed documents. The project, which has an estimated value of $1 billion, includes a SWRO plant on the Gulf of Aqaba, a brine conveyance line to the Dead Sea, a distribution pipeline and a possible hydropower generation station, and is planned for commercial operation in 2021. EgyptTenders imminent for Three desal plants Egypt’s National Organization for Potable Water and Sanitary Drainage (NOPWASD), which is being advised by the PPP Central Unit—the country’s privatization body—is expected to start a tendering process for three long-planned seawater desalination projects during the second quarter of this year. The projects are: • 20,000 m3/d (5.3 MGD) El Tor Project • 40,000 m3/d (10.6 MGD) Safaga Project • 100,000 m3/d (26.4 MGD) Al Alamein Project Pre-feasibility projects have been completed for the first two projects, which would be located on the Gulf of Suez and Red Sea coasts, respectively. Atkins UK is currently completing a study on the Al Alamein facility, which would be located on the Mediterranean coast, west of Alexandria. Plans call for all to be delivered on a build-own-operate (BOO) basis, although the contract lengths have not yet been specified. In brief Hitachi Infrastructure Systems has announced that it will merge Hitachi Aqua-Tech, its Singapore-based subsidiary that specializes in the supply of UF, RO and sulfate removal membrane systems, with Aqua Works and Engineering Pte Ltd, an engineering contractor focusing on applying water as a creative element in landscape facilities including fountains and pools. Hitachi said that the merger would generate synergistic effects, strengthening its water and environmental solutions business, which targets resorts, commercial facilities and high-rise condominiums in Asia and island countries. The deadline for submitting applications for grants, scholarships and stipends for the American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) for this year is 1 June. The Affordable Desalination Collaboration has donated the funding for these annual opportunities, which include graduate level research fellowships, undergraduate research and AMTA event registrations, through 2018. Online applications are available at www.amtaorg.com under the “resource” tab. Calendar Update: The Southwest Membrane Operator Association has changed the date of its 2016 Annual Symposium from 16-18 May to 13-15 June. The event will be held in Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/h9bmp7z. People Applied Biomimetic A/S has appointed Bill Harvey as vice president to lead its product strategy, business development and commercial activities. Formerly with Modern Water and GE Water/Ionics, he will remain based in Boston, Massachusetts, and may be contacted at wh@ appliedbiomimetic.com. Desalitech has announced the appointment of Rafael Simon to the company’s advisory board to help guide development and implementation of the company’s high recovery RO technology. Formerly a venture partner with VantagePoint, and the COO of Zenon Environmental, Dr Simon may now be contacted at Rafael.Simon@Desalitech.com. Rate for one year: £305 or US$550. Subscribe and renew online at: www.desalination.com/wdr Reproduction or electronic distribution is forbidden. Subscribers may circulate their copy on their immediate premises. To email or create additional copies for other office locations, contact Jake Gomme (jg@globalwaterintel.com) to arrange a site license. Shortened Holiday Issue Due to the US Spring Break holidays, WDR is providing a shortened, two-page issue this week and next, rather than taking its usual one week break. Major Baja projects touted at World Investment Forum Rosarito desal plant would be operational by 2019 (/staff/sandra-dibble/) By Sandra Dibble (/staff/sandra-dibble/) | 6:44 p.m. April 5, 2016 Containers at the port of Ensenada, where state and federal authorities are preparing an expansion. Gobierno de Baja California A planned desalination plant in Rosarito Beach, a cargo airport outside Ensenada and the expansion of Ensenada’s seaport are key to Baja California’s economic growth, a state official said Tuesday in San Diego. “We strongly believe in developing infrastructure (http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2013/oct/04/baja-california-governor- elect-rail-line/) as strategic to becoming more competitive,” Carlo Bonfante Olache, Baja California’s secretary of economic development, told participants at the World Forum for Foreign Direct Investment, which ends Wednesday. The three-day conference has drawn more than 350 participants from 33 countries, said Bob Watkins, vice-chair of the Cali Baja Bi- National Mega-Region, one of the event’s main sponsors. Now its fourth year, the conference has been staged in Shanghai, Philadelphia and Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates. Monday’s schedule included tours of the Imperial Valley and Baja California, with visits to alternative energy production facilities, and advanced manufacturing plants. In an interview, Bonfante said the Baja California government is preparing to receive bids April 21 on a large desalination plant in Rosarito Beach (http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2014/aug/24/rosarito-Mexico-desalination-plant-binational/), with the eventual capacity of 100,000 acre-feet of water a day. The facility is being developed as a public-private partnership. Bonfante said the state plans to select a bidder by mid-May, launch construction by the end of the year, and make the plant operational by the first quarter of 2019. Other projects in the works include the federal government’s expansion of the port of Ensenada, increasing its capacity from 250,000 containers a year to 400,000. A project outside Ensenada involves the establishment of a public/private partnership to build and operate a cargo airport in the Ojos Page 1 of 2Major Baja projects touted at World Investment Forum | SanDiegoUnionTribune.com 4/6/2016http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/apr/05/baja-infrastructure-projects/all/?print Negros Valley. Bonfante said the state has acquired land for the project and is looking to the private sector as operators. Though initially the airport would serve a national market, “we believe that it’s a good hub for cargo transfer in the long run to Asia and other places,” Bonfante said. The state is also looking to the private sector for the development of energy projects, Bonfante said. By the end of this month, the state is preparing to receive proposals from three companies that would supply power to the state for 25 years, with prices at least 25 percent lower than those of Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission, Bonfante said. sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com © Copyright 2016 The San Diego Union-Tribune. All rights reserved. Page 2 of 2Major Baja projects touted at World Investment Forum | SanDiegoUnionTribune.com 4/6/2016http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/apr/05/baja-infrastructure-projects/all/?print Water Desalination ReporT Volume 52, Number 17 The international weekly for desalination and advanced water treatment since 1965 25 April 2016 MexicoRosarito SWRO bids opened Proposals were received by the Department of Infrastructure and Urban Development for the State of Baja California (SIDUE) and Comisión Estatal del Agua de Baja California (CEA) for the proposed 100 MGD (378,500 m3/d) SWRO in Rosarito Beach, Baja California, Mexico, last Thursday. The project will be one of the first, and far and away the largest, to be developed under the Asociaciones Público Privadas— Mexico’s newly revised laws on public-private partnerships. The bidders were: • NSC Agua, Consolidated Water’s Mexican subsidiary whose bidding team includes Degrémont (Suez) as EPC contractor and NuWater, a South African investor group; • FCC Aqualia with Acciona Agua; • Hydrochem (Hyflux) with CGM Services and Vaher. Although IDE Technologies, Valoriza Agua/Sacyr and Tedagua were prequalified, they did not submit offers. Thus far, only the technical offers were opened and reviewed for compliance against a bureaucratic checklist. The offers will now be assessed and scored, and those scoring better than 37.5 out of 50 will have their commercial proposals opened on 20 May. The plant is scheduled for mid-2019 commissioning. Technology Idol – Five early-stage desal-related tech- nologies were presented in a special session at the Summit. Following each presentation, participants were interviewed by three panelists before the audience voted on the technology that it considered to be most likely to live up to the presenter’s expectations. The results were: Winner: Water Planet’s IntelliFlux – CEO Eric Hoek present- ed the company’s automated, self-adaptive flux enhancement and recovery process control technology for membrane and media filtration systems to optimize performance, recovery, process uptime and membrane/media life. Tom Pankratz, Editor, P.O. Box 75064, Houston, Texas 77234-5064 USA Telephone: +1-281-857-6571, www.desalination.com/wdr, email: tp@globalwaterintel.com © 2016 Media Analytics. Published in cooperation with Global Water Intelligence. 2016 Technology Idol: (from left), Grady Coberly and Eric Hoek of Water Planet, Christopher Gasson, President Felipe Calderón Tech Idol Distinction Award: (from left), Peter Myers and Rio Sabadicci of Nano Water Structures, Christopher Gasson, President Felipe Calderón Rome to host EDS Annual Conference The European Desalination Society (EDS) will hold its annual conference under the theme Desalination for the Environment: Clean Water and Clean Energy at the Marriott Park Hotel in Rome, Italy, on 22-26 May. For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/hc3cf3v. Global Water Awards2016 awards announced This year’s Global Water Awards were announced in a ceremony at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, UAE, last Tuesday night. Felipe Calderón, the former President of Mexico, presented the awards following his keynote speech given to the 600+ Global Water Summit delegates. With the exception of the Technology Idol award—which were determined earlier in the day by an audience vote— Global Water Award winners were chosen by WDR and GWI subscribers and IDA members. This year’s winners are: Distinction: Nano Water Structures – CEO Rio Sabadicci filled in for CTO Dr Allan Pronovost, who had a family emergency, and introduced the startup firm’s hydrate clathrate technology for the removal of undesired materials from water. Page 2WATER DESALINATION REPORT – 25 April 2016 effective water company, with its share price gaining 50% over the course of the year. Distinction: Biwater – A UK-based water and wastewater treatment plant contractor and operator whose US arm supplies RO/NF and MF/UF systems. Last year was a trans- formational year for Biwater during which its financial strength was restored, while the elimination of balance sheet debt bolstered the group’s ability to go out and do what it does best: engineer unique deals with maximum impact in challenging jurisdictions. Water Technology Company of the Year – For the company that has made the most significant contribution to the field of water technology in 2015. Winner: H2O Innovation – This Quebec-based, TSX-listed company saw a 40 percent increase in revenues, driven by rapid growth across its technology portfolio. It commissioned its first commercial FiberFlex UF installation in Colorado, and subsequently received 15 new orders for the system. Besides the advances in its core membrane business, it made significant steps forward in developing smart solutions for plant operations. It acquired Clearlogx, a chemical performance system for UF membranes, launched ProDose XPRT, which helps users predict scaling, and rolled out its SPMC remote plant monitoring solution. Even the Piedmont couplings division has seen innovation, adding several new low-pressure membrane products to its offering. Distinction: GE Water & Process Technologies – The water and wastewater arm of General Electric saw a spurt of innovation which resulted in the launch of a flurry of new technologies during 2015. They included its Monsal energy- neutral digestion system, the ZeeLung membrane-aerated biofilm reactor, an NF-based sulfate removal membrane, a new range of water treatment chemicals for oil and gas facilities, an enhanced version of its InSight industrial internet, a new brine concentration system to handle FGD waste and a range of new membrane products. Desalination Plant of the Year – For the desalination plant, commissioned during 2015, that represents the most impressive technical achievement in the industry. Winner: Carlsbad Desal Plant, USA – The 50 MGD (189,250 m3/d) Claude “Bud” Lewis SWRO Desalination Plant in California’s San Diego County was developed by a Poseidon Resources and Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners joint venture under a 33-year BOO contract with the San Diego County Water Authority. Kiewit/JF Shea were the EPC team, while IDE was responsible for the design and supply of the desal plant. Protec Arisawa supplied the pressure vessels, Dow supplied the RO membranes and ERII furnished the ERDs. Breakthrough Water Technology Company – For the early-stage technology company that made the most impressive commercial breakthrough into the global water technology market in 2015. Winner: Desalitech – Orders for this Boston-based com- pany’s unique RO Closed Circuit Desalination system tripled last year as the technology turned mainstream. The process, which recirculates RO reject until it reaches a predetermined concentration and is discharged from the system, delivers a dramatically higher recovery rate than traditional RO systems, while more exactly matching energy consumption to the actual osmotic pressure of the recirculating feedwater. Distinction: Orège – This French company developed two proprietary technologies: the SOFHYS advanced oxidation system and the SLG biosolids conditioning process. In 2015, Orège’s SLG technology achieved global success, with sales in the US, Germany and France, and developed a business model offering a range of mobile and fixed facilities on lease and “try then buy” models, to complement its traditional equipment sales model. Desalination Company of the Year – For the desalination company that made the greatest overall contribution to the industry in the past year. Winner: Acciona Agua – This Spanish EPC contractor and project developer was active in the global water and wastewater markets and had a stellar year in the international desal market in 2015, commissioning its second-largest project ever—at Torrevieja in Spain—while winning a contract to supply a pair of RO plants in Cape Verde. It also delivered on its commitment to revolutionize desal in the Gulf, bringing the 136,383 m3/d (36 MGD) Fujairah F1 expansion in Abu Dhabi online in November, while securing a pair of flagship contracts in Qatar. Distinction: Black & Veatch – The water division of this global, employee-owned engineering, consulting and construction company secured an array of marquee desal contracts in crucial markets—including Saudi Arabia and Singapore—during the past year. At the same time, it continued to prove its advanced water credentials at home with the successful commissioning of Orange County’s groundwater recharge project while pushing the boundaries of holistic water treatment and management through work with the WateReuse Research Foundation. Water Company of the Year – For the water company that made the most significant contribution to the development of the international water sector in 2015. Winner: Veolia – The French global water, waste and energy services provider staged a dramatic return to form in 2015, after four years of turmoil as a leaner, more focused and Page 3WATER DESALINATION REPORT – 25 April 2016 Distinction: Ghalilah SWRO Plant, UAE – An EPC contract for this 15 MIGD (18 MGD) plant in the UAE’s northernmost emirate of Ras Al Khaimah was awarded to Aquatech International in 2011 and completed in 2015. The low-energy plant was designed and built for the Federal Electricity and Water Authority and includes Toray’s SWRO membranes, X-Flow’s UF membranes and ERII’s ERDs. Water Reuse Project of the Year – For the project that was delivered during 2015 and represents the most significant advancement in terms of water reuse. Winner: San Diego Pure Water, USA –This multi-phased $2.9 billion program consists of the implementation of 83 MGD (314,155 m3/d) of advanced water purification capacity in the City of San Diego. The project will ultimately reclaim more than 100 MGD (378,500 m3/d) of wastewater currently discharged into the Pacific Ocean. The first phase of the program was completed in 2015 when a state-of-the-art 1 MGD (3,785 m3/d) demonstration project at the North City Water Reclamation Plant came online. Distinction: Orange County GWRS Expansion, USA – This award is yet another honor for what is the world’s largest indirect potable reuse facility. The 30 MGD (25 MIGD) expansion of the existing 70 MGD (58 MIGD) Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS), was jointly undertaken by the Orange County Water District (OCWD) and the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD). Black & Veatch served as the engineer, while Parsons was the construction manager. Dow supplied the RO membranes, Evoqua supplied the MF membranes and FEDCO furnished the ERDs, while Trojan furnished the UV disinfection system. Industrial Water Project of the Year – For the project commissioned in 2015 that represents the most impressive technical or environmental achievement in the field of industrial water or wastewater treatment. Winner: Northern WTP, Australia – This remote 100,000 m3/d (26.4 MGD) plant treats saline produced water piped from Queensland Gas Corporation’s coal seam gas extraction operation near Wandoan. It employs submerged and pressurized UF, ion exchange and a three-stage RO followed by brine concentration, recovering 97 percent of the feedwater to be reused by local industry and farmers. A GE/Laing O’Rourke alliance built and commissioned the A$550 million ($390 million) plant on behalf of client Queensland Gas Corporation, part of BG Group, which is now owned by Royal Dutch Shell. Distinction: Changxing ZLD facility, China – The wastewater treatment plant at Huaneng Power’s coal-fired Changxing Power Plant is the first to employ forward osmosis (FO) technology to concentrate brine in a ZLD system. The system was designed, deployed and commissioned by Oasys Water and Beijing Woteer using a pre-concentrating RO system followed by Oasys’ proprietary membrane brine concentrator (MBC) to treat a combined FGD/cooling tower blowdown treatment system. Water Deal of the Year – For the deal, signed in 2015, which has made the biggest contribution to the advancement of private sector participation in the international water sector. Winner: Changi NEWater II, Singapore – Chinese state- owned developer Beijing Enterprises Water Group (BEWG) and Singapore’s United Engineers Ltd (UEL) teamed up to deliver the winning bid for Singapore’s PUB. KPMG was the transaction advisor on the financing package, while Wong Partnership and Beca served as legal and contractual advisors, respectively. A S$180 million ($141 million) financing package funded the 25-year DBOO project, which treats secondary effluent from the Changi Water Reclamation Plant to create 228,000 m3/d (60.2 MGD) of potable quality NEWater. Distinction: Al Hamra SWRO financing, UAE – Billed as the world’s first ‘private IWP’—where a private party takes the role of both developer and offtaker—the project marks a major evolution in the way the private water sector interacts with end-users. Al Hamra Water Company, a joint venture between Utico (60%) and Cobra (40%), will develop the project with EPC work carried out by Cobra subsidiary Tedagua. Advisors on the deal were KPMG/GU Advisory DMCC (financial), Latham & Watkins (legal) and Mott MacDonald/Uticonsult (technical). It was funded according to a 70:30 debt-to-equity split, with debt financing arranged by Dubai’s United Ventures and Investments. Details on Water Project of the Year, Wastewater Project of the Year and Water Leaders Award are available at www. globalwaterawards.com. Mega-IWPP reaches financial close Developers of Qatar’s Umm al Houl independent water and power project (IWPP) reached financial closure on the project on 11 April. The $3 billion project had been known as ‘Facility D’ during the bid stage, and will be constructed by K1 Energy, a joint venture between Mitsubishi Corporation (98.5%) and Tokyo Electric Power Company (1.5%). KI will also own a 30 percent stake, along with QEWC (60%), Qatar Petroleum (5%) and the Qatar Foundation (5%), a special purpose company that will own and operate the IWPP. Rate for one year: £305 or US$550. Subscribe and renew online at: www.desalination.com/wdr Reproduction or electronic distribution is forbidden. Subscribers may circulate their copy on their immediate premises. To email or create additional copies for other office locations, contact Jake Gomme (jg@globalwaterintel.com) to arrange a site license. Page 4WATER DESALINATION REPORT – 25 April 2016 & Troubleshooting on 17 May in Mansfield, Texas. For information visit http://tinyurl.com/zz3zcj5. Toray Membrane USA has completed the acquisition of TCK Membrane America, a manufacturer of CSM RO/NF membranes in Anaheim, California. The move follows the May 2014 acquisition of Woongjin Chemical Company, now known as “Toray Chemical Korea”, and the previous parent company of TCK Membrane America. The Poway, California facility will continue to manufacture 4- and 8-inch RO elements, MBR, UF and specialty membranes, while the facility in Anaheim will continue to manufacture RO/ NF membranes for residential and commercial applications under the brand name “CSM”. Total, the French energy giant, and Angola’s Sonangol Group have awarded Veolia Water Oil & Gas a three-year contract to supply its Hydrex water treatment chemicals for use with sulfate removal membrane systems operating on its FPSO fleet off the Angola coast. Veolia said that it would supply 160 tons of antiscalants, CIP cleaners, biocides and dechlorination chemicals every six weeks to maintain the membrane functionality of the SWRO units. Pall Corporation has been awarded a contract for a 56,200 m3/d (15 MGD) UF treatment facility as a polishing step for Al Dhakhira Sewage Treatment plant in Qatar by Hyundai Rotem Company. The plant is designed to handle a peak flow of 77,000 m3/d (20.3 MGD). Hyundai Rotem will serve as the EPC contractor and will operate and maintain the plant for ten years. People Veolia Water Technologies has appointed Thierry Froment as chief operating officer of its Middle East region. Formerly the executive vice president of Veolia Oil & Gas, he will now be based at Veolia’s Sharjah office and may be contacted at thierry.froment@veolia.com. Aegion Corporation has announced the appointment of Frank Firsching as president of its Infrastructure Solutions platform with direct responsibility for the North America and European Insituform business, Underground Solutions, Inc. and Fyfe/Fibrwrap North and South America. He had been general manager of Underground Solutions prior to its acquisition by Aegion, and was previously the president of USFilter’s Water & Wastewater Systems Group. He will maintain offices in San Diego and St Louis and may be contacted at ffirsching@undergroundsolutions.com. The 590,980 m3/d (156 MGD) seawater desal plant will have a capacity that will be produced using a combination of Acciona Agua’s SWRO technology with DAF/UF pretreat-ment, while the balance of capacity will be produced using Hitachi Zosen’s thermal desal technology. The project will also include a 2,400 MW power plant. Commercial operation of the facility is planned for 2017. Saudi Arabia Developer seeks to expand solar desal Even before its 60,000 m3/d (16 MGD) phase one solar- powered seawater desalination plant has been constructed at Al Khafji, Riyadh-based Advanced Water Technologies (AWT) has begun to seek advisors for a pre-feasibility study for a 400,000 m3/d (106 MGD) solar-powered seawater desal plant. The new plant will be located in Yanbu, on the Kingdom’s Red Sea coast, and it will provide potable water for the city of Medina at a target price of 1.5 Saudi riyals ($0.40) per cubic meter ($1.51/kgal). According to the pre-feasibility study request for quotations (RFQ) for the Yanbu facility, the three-year implementation period for the second phase project will begin following the completion of the first phase project in late 2017. Bidders are asked to analyze a minimum of six scenarios including various combinations of photovoltaics (PV), concentrated photovoltaics (CPV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) in conjunction with SWRO and/or MED-TVC. Proposals considering additional scenarios are encouraged. The installed power generation capacity of the solar plant has not been predefined. For scenarios employing SWRO, the co-location of the power and desal plant both being located in Yanbu will be considered, as well as other solar plant location options in which the solar plant is optimized and power is transmitted to the desal plant via the grid. AWT is a subsidiary of TAQNIA, the commercial arm of King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology and an investment arm of the Saudi government. In brief Ozwater 2016 will be held on 10-12 May at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event will include about 170 speakers, 200 exhibitors and 13 specialist workshops. For information, visit http://www.ozwater.org. The South Central Membrane Association (SCMA) will hold a workshop on Low Pressure Membrane Operations