Energy Recovery, Inc., a provider of energy recovery devices for desalination, announced that its PX Pressure Exchanger (PX) devices will be implemented in the Victorian Desalination Project--slated to be the largest seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant in Australia, according to the company--to help deliver freshwater to the cities of Melbourne and Geelong.
To be constructed by AquaSure (a consortium sponsored by Suez Environnement and its affiliate Degremont, provider of desalination technology, Thiess and Macquarie Capital), the plant will be located in the Wonthaggi region of the state of Victoria. The desalination plant will provide up to 150 billion liters of water per year--around one-third of Melbourne's annual water supply--with the possibility of future expansion to 200 billion liters. Energy Recovery anticipates delivery of its PX devices in two phases during the first half of 2010.
“For seawater desalination to work as a sustainable solution to global water scarcity, the water it supplies must be affordable,” said Remi Lantier, CEO of Degremont. “Energy consumption represents an important portion of the overall cost of desalination, so it is critical to conserve as much energy as possible. Energy Recovery’s PX device is a proven technology for significantly reducing energy usage in desalination, which is why we have implemented the devices at large desalination plants all over the world, including in Perth, Australia, and Barcelona, Spain.”
Implementing Energy Recovery’s PX devices at the Victorian Desalination Project will save more than 49 MW of energy--equaling a savings of $35 million--the company said, and offset an estimated 263,000 tons of CO2 annually.
“The Victorian Desalination Project represents a long-term solution to the Melbourne region’s increasing water shortages, and we are honored that the AquaSure consortium has elected to implement Energy Recovery’s PX devices to reduce energy and deliver affordable freshwater,” said Borja Blanco, senior vice president of Energy Recovery, Inc. “The PX device has a proven track record at large desalination plants throughout Australia and the rest of the world, validating the technology as the highest performing, most reliable isobaric energy recovery device solution today.”
