Israel is gearing up to build its largest water desalination plant yet, aiming to address the country’s water needs for the future. The project, announced by the inter-ministerial tender committee for seawater desalination, will focus on renovating, expanding, and operating the desalination plant located in Ashkelon. Once completed, it’s expected to produce a whopping 220 million cubic meters of water annually.
The facility, which is nearing the end of the first concession period, is expected to double the volume of desalinated water under the new concession and will be the largest desalination facility in Israel.
This is the first desalination facility in Israel that is reaching the end of its first concession period, and is now, after 25 years of operation, going to tender for a new concession for its operation, which will include a significant expansion of the water desalination system from approximately 120 million cubic metres per year today to approximately 220 million cubic metres.
The new concession agreement will include the renovation and renewal of all the facility’s systems, the construction of new arrays and buildings and the operation of the facility and water supply to the state for an additional 25-year concession period. After the completion of the expansion and renovation of the facility, the seven desalination facilities in Israel are expected to supply approximately 1,000 cubic metres per year, which constitutes almost the entire volume of water consumption expected for homes and industry in Israel each year.
The Director of the Water Authority, Yehezkel Lipshitz said, “The new facility will harness advanced technologies and sustainable practices to effectively convert seawater into high-quality fresh water, thereby increasing water resources, in order to meet growing needs and strengthen the resilience of the State of Israel in the face of periods of drought and future water shortages.”
(inputs from ANI)