Israeli Company to Design, Operate San Diego Desalination Plant
by JNS.org
An Israeli company is undertaking what will be the western hemisphere’s largest desalination project, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The $922 million Carlsbad Desalination Project—a partnership between the American subsidiary of Israel’s IDE Technologies Ltd., Poseidon Resources and the San Diego County Water Authority—will consist of a 204,412-cubic-meter seawater desalination plant in the San Diego area.
IDE Americas Inc. is designing the plant, as well as handling operation and maintenance of the facility for 30 years.
Israel, a country with a chronic shortage of water, is a global leader in desalination—turning salt water into fresh water. IDE Technologies CEO Avshalom Felber told the Post that the Carlsbad project is the start of the company’s efforts to tap into growing desalination markets in Florida, Texas and California.
“It’s no news that we and other Israeli [desalination] companies are well-known,” Felber said. “The real global news is entering the American market, which is really hard to penetrate.”
IDE Americas CEO Mark Lambert said, “The movement in the U.S. toward desalination has been a long time coming, and we’re ready to lead the charge.”