Barcelona already relies on Europe’s largest desalination plant for domestic use to compensate over three years of below average rainfall that have led to a historic drought made worse by climate change. In February, Catalonia’s regional government declared a drought emergency for much of the surrounding region.
PERTH, Australia – Jacobs (NYSE: J), a global provider of technical, professional, and construction services, has been contracted by Water Corporation to spearhead the Alkimos Seawater Desalination Plant in Perth. The initiative is set to enhance the drinking water supply infrastructure for over 2.5 million residents in Western Australia.
Barcelona uses a water desalination and filtration system to meet its water needs. Reservoirs serving 6 million people in central and northern Catalonia, including Barcelona, are only at 18% of capacity.
TNPA has awarded the joint venture, Norland Civil Engineers and Contractors and Impact Water Solutions (PTY) Ltd (IWS), trading as Sun Water East London, a R60-million contract to construct and operate the solar-powered water desalination plant over seven years.
The ceremony was attended by Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Etihad Water and Electricity, along with Yousef Ahmed Al Ali, CEO of the company, and several senior officials.
The plant touted as the first utility-scale seawater desalination facility in the country is Vivant Infracore Holdings Inc.’s attempt at providing a sustainable solution to Cebu’s water crisis as it is expected to produce potable water that will satisfy the daily consumption of roughly 20,000 households.
Alongside the call for action, the gravity of the water crisis has become palpable as several residents have expressed their concerns across social media platforms, where they voiced out their frustrations and the urgent need for water access.
The announcement was made during the opening of an international conference on water desalination projects in the Gaza Strip, attended by 31 countries and held at the European Commission Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
AS MORE barangays in Metro Cebu experience a water crisis due to the ongoing dry spell, the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) wants two desalination plants to start delivering water before July 2024.
The construction of a desalination plant in the municipality of Albufeira, whose base value is 90 million euros, is one of the response measures to the drought affecting the southern region of Portugal, with the equipment expected to have an initial water conversion capacity from the sea in the potable capacity of 16 cubic hectometres.