Private ownership is expected to account for 51 percent of the 25 million cubic meters per day of large-scale desalination projects currently planned or under construction, according to a report from Bluefield Research.
The research firm specializing in global water markets and technologies says this new phase of increased private sector ownership represents greenfield opportunities in new markets and industries for companies across the desalination value chain. Pure play water companies including Hyflux, IDE Technologies, Mekorot, Aqualyng, Seven Seas Water, Consolidated Water, and Poseidon Resources are at the forefront, the report says.
Global Desalination Market Trends & Ownership Strategies, 2014-2018, says the Middle East remains the geography epicenter, representing 64 percent of total installed capacity since 1980. However, the past 10 years have seen desalination technology deployment expand to more than 65 countries and across a mix of industry verticals, including agriculture, mining, power generation, and oil and gas.
Demonstrated by a spate of recent activity in water-stressed industries such as mining, power, and oil and gas, Bluefield anticipates companies such as BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Total SA, Eskom, and AES Gener to broaden their desalination footprints.
Earlier this month Desalitech and Japan-based Toyo Engineering formed a strategic partnership to bring closed circuit desalination reverse osmosis water treatment technologies to East Asian and other international markets to increase water recovery, improve energy efficiency, reduce environmental impact and reduce disposal costs.
