Water. desalination + reuse

| 20 | Desalination & Water Reuse | February-March 2014 regions ASIA The World Bank is to help developing countries to better plan and scale- up their energy demand in tandem with water resource management. The bank launched a new global initiative Thirsty Energy on 21 January 2014 at the World Future Energy Summit and International Water Summit in Abu Dhabi. Last year, water shortages shut down thermal power plants in India, decreased energy production in power plants in the USA and threatened hydropower generation in many countries, including Sri Lanka, China and Brazil. The problem is expected only to get worse. By 2035, the world's energy consumption will increase by 35%, which in turn will increase water consumption by 85%, according to the International Energy Agency. Thirsty Energy is a global initiative aimed to help governments prepare for an uncertain future by: • Identifying synergies and quantifying tradeoffs between energy development plans and water use • Piloting cross-sectoral planning to ensure sustainability of energy and water investments • Designing assessment tools and management frameworks to help governments coordinate decision-making. With the energy sector as an entry point, initial work has already started in South Africa and dialogue has been initiated in Bangladesh, Morocco, and Brazil where the challenges have already manifested and thus where demand exists for integrated approaches. "Water constraints on the energy sector can be overcome, but all stakeholders, public and private, must work together to develop innovative tools and use water as a guiding factor for assessing viability of projects," said Maria van der Hoeven, executive director of the International Energy Agency. "The absence of integrated planning is unsustainable." Solutions exist, but countries must continue to innovate and adapt policies and technology to address the complexity of the landscape. These solutions include technological development and adoption, improved operations to reduce water use and impacts in water quality, and strong integrated planning. A Chinese company could be producing at least 1 billion m 3 of fresh water by desalination of sea ice by 2023, according to a report in the official Chinese news agency Xinhua on 14 January 2014. The report followed the signing by a research team from Beijing Normal University of a sea-ice desalination technology-transfer agreement with Beijing Huahaideyuan Technology Co Ltd. The salinity of sea ice is between 0.4-0.8%, much lower than that of seawater, which stands at about 2.8-3.1%, said Professor Gu Wei, head of the research team. The salinity of sea-ice water after desalination is 0.1%, which meets the national standard. The water can be used in agriculture, by industry and for drinking, said the professor. The research team has mastered the basic principles and technology of sea-ice desalination and developed the equipment to be used in the process, including an ice-breaking platform and an ice-gatherer, he said. China's sea-ice desalination program started in 1996, when Shi Peijun, a professor from Beijing Normal University, realized that low-saline ice could ease the water shortage around the Pan-Bohai Bay area in north China, after desalination. The program has received a total of RMB 29.72 million (US$ 4.88 million) from various government departments in the past 18 years. ASIA Chinese commercialize sea-ice desalination process World Bank to help energy/water development link ADB backs US$ 240 million Chinese water reuse loans A US$ 240 million loan package was agreed in Beijing on 20 November 2013 to upgrade wastewater treatment plants in China to meet the grade 1A standard, which means the water can be reused for industry cooling and watering city gardens. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing a direct loan of US$ 120 million equivalent in dollars and yuan for Beijing Enterprises Water Group Limited and a complementary loan of US$ 120 million equivalent in dollars and yuan to be funded by commercial banks. In addition, technical assistance of US$ 500,000 jointly from the Climate Change Fund, established by ADB, and the Multi-Donor Trust Fund under the Water Financing Partnership Facility, funded by the governments of Australia, Austria, Norway, Spain and Switzerland, will help to promote the reuse of wastewater in cities across China. Reuse of wastewater can be made more cost-competitive if appropriate energy efficiency measures are introduced. The technical assistance to support energy audits, energy management systems, knowledge sharing of energy-saving solutions, and policy recommendations will enhance the affordability of water reuse, freeing up fresh water in cities across the country.

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