Energy Recovery, Inc. PX Devices to Be Implemented at Southern Seawater Desalination Plant in Australia

Energy Recovery, Inc., a leader in the design and development of energy recovery devices for desalination, today announced that its PX Pressure Exchanger™ (PX™) devices will be implemented at the Southern Seawater Desalination Plant (SSDP) in Western Australia. To be constructed by the Southern Seawater Alliance (SSWA) — a joint venture between Técnicas Reunidas Australia Pty Ltd, Valoriza Water Australia Pty Ltd, AJ Lucas Operations Pty Ltd, and Worley Parsons Services Pty Ltd — the plant will be built in Binningup and will provide 140,000 m3 (37 million gallons) of fresh water per day to residents of the greater Perth region.

“When constructing desalination plants designed for enormous capacity, it is critically important to conserve as much energy as possible during the reverse osmosis process in order to make the product affordable,” said Pablo Abril Martorell, general manager at Valoriza Agua. “Rotary isobaric energy recovery devices have emerged as the most innovative method for reducing energy, and because the SSDP is our first desalination plant in Australia, it was important to select the best technology available in a country that demands the highest environmental standards. Energy Recovery’s PX devices have a proven track record for high-performance and reliability, making them the ideal choice.”

By implementing Energy Recovery’s PX devices at the SSDP, the SSWA will save more than 1,560 kW of energy and offset more than 8,000 tons of CO2 annually. The SSDP is the fourth desalination plant in Australia to include the PX technology, as devices are currently operating or contracted at facilities in Perth-Kwinana, Cape Preston and Adelaide. The water shortage in Western Australia is a catalyst for the potential increase of water production capacity, to 280,000 m3/day, at the plant. In total, Energy Recovery, Inc. is helping to produce more than 590,000 m3 (156 million gallons) of fresh water per day across Australia.

“We applaud the continuing efforts of the Water Corporation of Western Australia to deploy desalination to solve increasing water shortages, and we are pleased that the SSWA has selected our PX devices to reduce energy and deliver affordable fresh water,” said Borja Blanco, senior vice president of Energy Recovery, Inc. “The performance of our technology in the Perth-Kwinana plant made it the logical choice for the SSDP, and mirrors the consistently outstanding performance of our devices at hundreds of other desalination plants globally.”

Energy Recovery’s PX devices operate at up to 98 percent efficiency and reduce the energy consumption of SWRO systems by up to 60 percent, making desalination a cost-effective solution for clean water supply. PX devices also reduce the carbon footprint of desalination, saving more than 700 MW of energy and reducing CO2 emissions by more than 2.3 million tons per year worldwide. More than 6,700 PX devices are currently deployed or under contract to be installed at desalination plants across the globe. For more information about Energy Recovery’s PX Pressure Exchanger technology, visit http://www.energyrecovery.com or send an email to info@energyrecovery.com.