Topic: How To Invest

Pat: Do you know of any companies that are developing systems to provide cheap clean water by desalination?

Article Excerpt

Desalination is the process of removing excess salt and other minerals from seawater. It’s also used where saltwater has entered underground fresh-water aquifers. Right now, there are more than 13,000 desalination plants operating in over 120 countries. In all, these plants produce more than 12 billion gallons of fresh water a day. About three-quarters of these plants are in the Middle East. That’s because desalination plants are very expensive to build, so they’re only really cost-effective where there is no fresh water. When fresh water is available, it can be pumped up to 1,600 kilometres and still cost less per litre than water from a desalination plant. The world’s largest desalination plant is the Jebel Ali Desalination Plant (Phase 2) in the United Arab Emirates. This plant can produce 219 million gallons of water per day. By comparison, the largest desalination plant in the U.S. is in Tampa Bay, Florida. That plant can produce 25 million gallons of water per day. Desalination may…