Achieving a new record in desalination, an Israeli company delivers twenty percent of the nation’s potable water, in addition to supplying water to other countries.

Last week, IDE Technologies, an Israeli company that specializes in water treatment solutions, announced that its desalination plant in Ashkelon recently achieved a world record. In the plant’s nearly 10 years of operation, it has produced and delivered 1 billion cubic meters (m³) of high-quality drinking water.

Today, many countries must innovate new sources of clean water, which is no longer just an issue for emerging economies in the developing world. While the vast majority of the 750 million people who do not have access to safe drinking water live in underdeveloped countries, the need for clean drinking water affects every human being on Earth.

For underdeveloped countries, the main problem is sanitation and water safety. While there may be water available, there is currently no existing technology to provide clean and safe drinking water in a quantity that satisfies the needs of the population. Even when water purification technology is available, there may be a lack of accessibility, especially in rural and remote areas.

In other countries where sanitation technology is not the issue, supply may be lacking. Many nations in Africa and Asia suffer from regular drought conditions, making the quantity of available water insufficient.

While many of these countries do have access to ocean water, that source is obviously not drinkable in its natural state. To turn ocean water into clean and safe drinking water, it has to go through a process called desalination – removing the salt so that it can be consumed safely.

Israeli Desalination: Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Since it is regularly affected by droughts, Israel has prioritized the establishment of desalination plants and the development of novel and economical desalination systems.

When IDE Technologies opened in 2005, it was the largest and most advanced desalinization plant in the world. With a capacity of up to 330,000 m³ per day, it produces about 13 percent of Israel’s domestic consumer demand for tap water – which is approximately 5 to 6 percent of Israel’s total water needs. Over the nearly 10 years since it began production, it has consistently addressed the water needs of more than 1 million people across the region.

Even more remarkable than the sheer volume of clean water produced by IDE technologies is the fact that they have achieved one of the world’s lowest prices for desalinated water. IDE currently has plants in Israel, the United States, China, India, and Chile, in addition to projects in other countries.

IDE continues to create newer, more advanced plants which are providing more than 20 percent of the municipal water demand in Israel, thus alleviating the country’s potable water shortage while minimizing the impact on terrestrial and marine environments. Their advances in desalination hold great promise for drinking water processing, not only for Israel’s citizens, but for the entire world.

By: Penina Taylor, United with Israel

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