Continuing on about the future of water related stuff. Here's a couple of more articles worth sharing.
Siemens Predicts Growth in Global Water Treatment Demand
Fastest growth predicted for Asian market
June 25, 2009
According to a senior manager at Siemens AG, global demand for water treatment services may grow 6% in 2010, as Asia is expected to build infrastructure to meet increased use of clean water from cities and industries, Bloomberg reported.
I'm guessing that in that part of Asia they don't have a ratio of 50,000 people with access to 13 million acre feet of water. No wonder they are in a hurry to find solutions including building needed infrastructure to reuse and therefore conserve more water. That infrastructure deal may even put a few souls to work. Lucky them.
Fastest demand growth in Asia demand will be for the $38 billion water treatment market, Wieland Simon, a Siemens spokesman, told Bloomberg. Asian growth rates may reach 10% next year, he said.
Growth rate at 10%... dang that place will be like Vegas or LA. Who needs that??
Singapore’s Changi Water Reclamation Plant opened June 23. It is the largest plant in Southeast Asia, capable of treating 800,000 cu meters of used water a day, enough to fill 320 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The plant will treat more than half of Singapore’s used water.
Population of Singapore is just short of 5 million people.
So that is how one part of the world is dealing with reclaimed water to save on sources. What about those that are looking for additional sources??
Water Scarcity Expected to Boost the Desalination Market
Focus on desalination especially highlighted in the Mediterranean region
July 9, 2009
Demand for fresh water is increasing around the world, especially in regions with rapidly growing populations and badly affected by long drought seasons.
Sounds familiar.
Water is only going to become scarcer and many governments are looking at desalination and investing in this technology to supply water to their populations. These factors are driving the desalination market...
Many governments include our own state of Arizona.
From here...
"Desalinated ocean water is the future sustainable source," said Herb Guenther, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources. "It's only logical that eventually we'll migrate toward it. We don't need interim supplies now. We need a permanent supply."
I can only hope that Mr. Guenther is including us folks up here in Mohave County for that permanent supply.
I may have more to share from that article in future days. But for now I'll get back to the other one...
Frost & Sullivan Analyst Nuno Oscar Branco, who has been researching the market and conducting extensive interviews with market participants, said, “Spain is the largest desalination market in the Mediterranean region, but countries such as Algeria, Morocco or Libya, to name just a few, have joined the desalination bandwagon and are investing heavily on this source of fresh drinking water.”
Spain built its first desalination plant in 1965 and was one of the first countries in the Mediterranean region to consider desalination as a viable solution to solve water shortage issues in large urban areas. “Spain is close to reaching the peak of its desalination programme and is on the forefront of the desalination markets, leading the way in employing new technologies and plant design,” said Branco.
Leading the way to what, you ask??
Spurred by the PROGRAMA A.G.U.A., Spain has an estimated investment plan of about $5.5 billion for the period 2004 to 2015 in desalinization treatment plants.
At a time when the construction market is in trouble, investments by the Spanish Government in the water infrastructure is proving to be a good opportunity for EPC companies, construction companies, project engineering firms and technology providers.
Oh... more jobs and opportunity.
“The Spanish desalination market still offers opportunities for local and international companies that have expertise especially in key areas of energy efficiency as well as process and operation optimization,” according to Branco. Desalination is looking at the opportunity of going green through renewable energy options. There are technologies already available that would use wind or offshore solar power units as an energy source for desalination.
Well now.
The presence of Spanish companies is also very strong in other geographical markets: “Albeit the desalination market in Spain is at its peak,” Branco concluded, “Spanish companies have developed strong know-how in the construction and operation of large desalinization plants and are winning important contracts in Algeria, India and Australia.”
Drivers for investment in water desalination plants will continue to remain strong in the Mediterranean countries for the next decades.
Someone's got to lead.
Of course improvements of these sorts will lead to increased costs for the users. But hey, if more people are getting employed by these technologies and therefore improving the economy, it all washes out at the very least.
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