New large desalination plant to be operation in UAE in 2013

Energy Recovery, a global leader in the design and development of energy recovery devices for desalination and other industrial processes, today announced that the company was awarded a new contract for its PX Pressure Exchanger (PX) energy recovery devices for a large-scale desalination plant in the UAE.

The Ghalilah plant will be built by Aquatech International Corporation, an engineering and procurement contractor, for the Federal Electricity and Water Authority (Fewa). The plant will have a total estimated capacity of 68,000 cubic meters (18 million gallons) per day.  ERI expects to ship devices to Aquatech in the current year to facilitate the scheduled completion in 2013.

The Ghalilah plant is ERI’s second mega-project in the UAE. As a long-standing PX technology user for smaller plants, Fewa specified ERI's solution for their first large-scale desalination facility without hesitation. Proven reliability, energy savings, and uptime were critical factors in Fewa's decision to use PX technology for their newly constructed Ghalilah plant. Aquatech awarded ERI the contract based on the overall merits of the PX technology, providing an elegant solution with the lowest lifecycle costs.

"We needed a technology that outperforms any other, with the highest efficiency and uptime. ERI has been supplying our energy recovery devices for years, with exceptional performance, service, and support," said Mohamad Lutfi, General Manager of Fewa.

"The Middle East and North Africa region is growing rapidly, and so is its demand for desalination. In the next five years it is estimated that this region, which includes Libya, Tunisia, Qatar, Jordan and Morocco, among others, will produce the lion's share of seawater desalination projects," stated Tom Rooney, chief executive officer of Energy Recovery Inc. "Maintaining a loyal base of high-caliber customers such as Aquatech and end users like Fewa is a testament to our product quality and reputation in the industry.  We are pleased to partner with such great organizations."

The latest project contracted to ERI in the UAE includes the Al Zawrah plant, awarded in 2011 by Spanish firm Cadagua, to produce 45,000 cubic meters per day of water. According to market reports, the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region anticipates a compounded annual growth rate of 40 percent for energy recovery devices in the next four years, a direct result of the influx of desalination plants in the region.

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