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Released April 15, 2015 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Communities in drought-stricken California are taking a new look at seawater desalination projects. In years past, desalination was often deemed too expensive. But the energy-intensive process has become more affordable, according to advocates, and such projects have gained a new luster in light of the worst drought in decades.
Industrial Info is tracking $3.09 billion in active California desalination projects. The Carlsbad Desalination Project, valued at $922 million, is under construction. Also, 10 projects, with a combined value of more than $2.1 billion, are in the planning phases, where a variety of factors could alter their timing or outcome; and one project, valued at $17 million, is in the engineering phase.
With no end to the drought in sight, California Governor Jerry Brown on April 1 ordered the first-ever statewide water reductions in cities and towns. The action is aimed at saving about 1.5 million acre-feet of water for the remainder of the year.
Southern California currently imports 90% of its water, largely from the Colorado River and Northern California, prompting some area cities to look for new sources of water, including the Pacific Ocean.
The Carlsbad Desalination Project in San Diego County will be the largest desalination plant in the western hemisphere, according to its builder, Poseidon Resources Corporation (Boston, Massachusetts). Construction kicked off two years ago, with planned completion in fourth-quarter 2015.
The plant will use reverse osmosis filtering to produce 50 million gallons of drinking water per day, enough for at least 300,000 residents. Under a 30-year agreement, the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors will purchase the water, which will be enough to supply 7% of the region's need in 2020. Kiewit Shea, a joint venture by Kiewit Infrastructure West Company (Santa Fe Springs, California), and J.F. Shea Construction Company (Walnut, California), is conducting engineering, procurement and construction for the project.
Technological and configuration improvements have made desalination cost-effective and comparable to other alternative sources, according to Poseidon Resources. Among other things, advances in reverse osmosis membranes yield higher productivity and rejection, the company says.
The Carlsbad plant will produce 50 million gallons of drinking water from 100 million gallons of seawater each day. The remaining water, 50 million gallons per day of seawater with an elevated salt content, will be diluted with additional seawater before it is discharged to the ocean, ensuring that the increased salinity will not harm local marine life, according to the company.
Poseidon Resources is also developing the 50 million-gallon-per-day Huntington Beach Desalination Project. Construction kickoff of the $900 million project is scheduled for fourth-quarter 2016, with completion by first-quarter 2019.
In March, the Orange County Water District board released a draft term sheet between the district and Poseidon Resources to purchase the water from the Huntington Beach plant.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
Industrial Info is tracking $3.09 billion in active California desalination projects. The Carlsbad Desalination Project, valued at $922 million, is under construction. Also, 10 projects, with a combined value of more than $2.1 billion, are in the planning phases, where a variety of factors could alter their timing or outcome; and one project, valued at $17 million, is in the engineering phase.
With no end to the drought in sight, California Governor Jerry Brown on April 1 ordered the first-ever statewide water reductions in cities and towns. The action is aimed at saving about 1.5 million acre-feet of water for the remainder of the year.
Southern California currently imports 90% of its water, largely from the Colorado River and Northern California, prompting some area cities to look for new sources of water, including the Pacific Ocean.
The Carlsbad Desalination Project in San Diego County will be the largest desalination plant in the western hemisphere, according to its builder, Poseidon Resources Corporation (Boston, Massachusetts). Construction kicked off two years ago, with planned completion in fourth-quarter 2015.
The plant will use reverse osmosis filtering to produce 50 million gallons of drinking water per day, enough for at least 300,000 residents. Under a 30-year agreement, the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors will purchase the water, which will be enough to supply 7% of the region's need in 2020. Kiewit Shea, a joint venture by Kiewit Infrastructure West Company (Santa Fe Springs, California), and J.F. Shea Construction Company (Walnut, California), is conducting engineering, procurement and construction for the project.
Technological and configuration improvements have made desalination cost-effective and comparable to other alternative sources, according to Poseidon Resources. Among other things, advances in reverse osmosis membranes yield higher productivity and rejection, the company says.
The Carlsbad plant will produce 50 million gallons of drinking water from 100 million gallons of seawater each day. The remaining water, 50 million gallons per day of seawater with an elevated salt content, will be diluted with additional seawater before it is discharged to the ocean, ensuring that the increased salinity will not harm local marine life, according to the company.
Poseidon Resources is also developing the 50 million-gallon-per-day Huntington Beach Desalination Project. Construction kickoff of the $900 million project is scheduled for fourth-quarter 2016, with completion by first-quarter 2019.
In March, the Orange County Water District board released a draft term sheet between the district and Poseidon Resources to purchase the water from the Huntington Beach plant.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
