Desalination & Reuse Handbook - Flipbook - Page 32
IDA
WATER SECURITY
HANDBOOK
Industrial desalination
The industrial desalination market has continued to grow. Having remained constant at around 1.5 million m3/d of annual contracted
capacity in the years following the boom and bust of 2010–2014, industrial desalination capacity in 2017 grew 21% between 2016 and
2017.
Rising commodity prices have revived desalination activity in the mining industry, with 201,000 m3/d of new capacity contracted
in the first half of 2018 alone. The majority of this is due to the revival of large-scale desalination projects for mining expansions in
Chile that were previously on hold, with EPC contracts for plants at Quebrada Blanca (73,400 m3/d) and Minera Spence (69,120 m3/d)
awarded to IDE and Tedagua respectively in the first half of the year. This is driven by legislation that will force new mining capacity
with water demand exceeding 12,960 m3/d to make exclusive use of seawater. While the legislation has not yet been signed into law,
it is already driving the revival of these projects as mining operations expand to take advantage of recovering copper prices. Although
these regulations are not yet in place, mining companies are already factoring the necessity for desalination capacity into their long-term
planning. Mining in Australia has also produced a steady pipeline of brackish water desalination procurement in 2017–2018, much of
which has been snapped up by Osmoflo. Mining alone accounts for approximately 25% of contracted capacity in the first half of 2018,
compared to just one award over 10,000 m3/d – a 21,630 m3/d SWRO project in Peru – awarded in 2017.
Annual contracted capacity with private sector involvement, 2000–2018
3.5
IWPP
Capacity millions (m3/d)
3
DBO
2.5
BOT/BOO
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018*
% annual contracted capacity
60%
IWPP
50%
DBO
40%
BOT/BOO
30%
20%
10%
0%
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018*
Source: GWI DesalData / IDA
*Values through June 2018
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