Sphere
#36
2014
15
>>
“It was like Armageddon.”
utchison Whampoa,
however, is on the job. It is
making and moving water to
where people need it most.
From hydrating nations to
putting clean water in an athlete’s hand,
HWL is using world-class technology
and decades of engineering experience
to provide water where it is needed and
to make sure it isn’t showing up where
it isn’t wanted. If even the mildest of
predictions about the huge demand for
water management and technology come
true, HWL is going to be on the front
line in supplying global water needs for
decades to come.
A stream in the desert:
Sorek Desalination Plant
In the Old Testament, Isaac repeatedly
quarrels with Philistine shepherds over
the rights to a number of wells (Genesis
26). Water management has been an
issue in the region since time immemorial.
However, new technology and thoughtful
water management could change how the
region thinks about water. Desalination is
the key.
One of the largest desalination projects
in the world is the Sorek Desalination
Plant (SDP). Located about 15 km south of
Tel Aviv, SDP has a total capacity of 150
million cubic metres per year. In a joint
bid with local company IDE Technologies,
Hutchison Water Limited won the tender
to build and operate this important one
of a kind facility. “The Sorek Desalination
Plant was the first major project that
Hutchison Water carried out. We were
very pleased that the first project of
this scale was the world’s largest,” says
Amikam Cohen, CEO of Hutchison Water.
Since its completion in 2013, the plant has
continuously provided clean, fresh, potable
water to millions of users, satisfying 20 per
cent of Israel’s residential and commercial
water demand.
Tech breakthrough
The SDP utilises the seawater reverse
osmosis desalination process to provide
water to Israel’s national water carrier
system. The plant employs some of the
most advanced technologies available.
Gil Doron, Senior Project Manager of
Hutchison Water, explains, “The Sorek
project is really a groundbreaking project in
desalination.” It uses 16-inch membranes
instead of 8-inch membranes, and these
are positioned vertically rather than
horizontally, simplifying processes and
allowing for safer operation. The intake
and outtake pipes are carried in a tunnel
under the seabed approximately two
kilometres out to sea, assuring the quality
of the seawater used and protecting the
environment. “There is a pit which was
built on the beach of Palmachim, and if
you walk on the beach you won’t have a
clue that underneath it there is a shaft
and a tunnel – an amazing technological
achievement,” Mr Doron explains.
Working hand in hand
Technological and environmental
commitment has not gone unrecognised
by the industry. The Sorek plant recently
won the “Desalination of the Year” award
at the Global Water Awards. The award
is given by Global Water Intelligence,
the leading research player in the field.
Sorek was recognised as the most
impressive technical and ecologically
sustainable achievement in the industry.
On the success of the project, Dan Eldar,
Executive Director of Hutchison Water,
says, “In terms of the execution of this
project ... this is an exemplary project
which was built very successfully, on time
and on budget.”
IDE Technologies’ expertise was joined
to a very experienced team which was
assembled for Hutchison Water. The
Hutchison Whampoa Group brought
its financial expertise to bear, lending to
the Sorek project’s success. “We were
H
For all the talk of increasing demand and climate change-driven
shortages, precious few are doing anything about one of the two
resources most crucial to life: water.
Hutchison’sKinrotVentures
Hutchison Water’s track record
enabled it to win a bid in 2012 to
operate a technology incubator in
Israel: Hutchison Kinrot Ventures.
The incubator gives Hutchison
Water the ability to grow early
stage technology companies
and to help them go to the
market with a proven, working
technology. Dr Eldar explains,
“We help more than a dozen
technology companies develop
their products and prepare
them for penetration into global
markets so they can benefit from
the Group’s global presence in
more than 50 countries around
the world.”
These are just two firms with
outstanding potential to change
the world:
Aquarius Spectrum
has a
unique solution using innovative
sensors and algorithms to provide
high-accuracy acoustic water
leak detection at low costs. Its
technology allows the detection of
leaks as small as one millimetre,
allowing utilities to prioritise repair
efforts and reduce leakage. This
helps utilities save water, energy
and money.
Hydrospin
, established in
2010, has developed a unique
micro-generator that produces
energy from water flow inside
distribution pipes. The energy
produced powers the operation
of devices measuring water
toxicity, pH, chlorine, and
pressure. This system provides
utilities with real-time data and
eliminates the need for costly
and toxic battery packs and
damage-prone solar panels. Better
information at a lower cost helps
save the environment with fewer
expensive batteries used and
improved water management.
Mike Madine,
Sewerage and New Development
Manager, Northumbrian Water
