Kuwait Ministry Awards Desalination Project to Doosan

The Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) of Kuwait awarded Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction the 136,000-cubic-meters-per-day (m3/d) Shuwaikh Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) Desalination Plant with recarbonation system contract, according to a Sept. 17 press release.

Doosan Hydro Technology, a wholly owned U.S.-based subsidiary, will provide all basic process design engineering and detailed engineering review services. Energy Recovery, Inc., a global leader of ultra high-efficiency energy recovery products and technology for desalination, was contracted for its PX Pressure Exchanger (PX) technology for the project.

The plant is Kuwait's first seawater desalination plant using SWRO technology. It will supply drinking water for 450,000 residents in Kuwait City. Under the contract, Doosan will design and build the plant, which will be located near Shuwaikh port, and will supply equipment and materials. The project is scheduled for completion in September 2010.

Doosan Hydro Technology selected Energy Recovery, Inc.'s largest commercially available 65-Series product, the PX-260 energy recovery device, due to its high efficiency, high flexibility and small footprint. The project will include 187 PX-260 PX Pressure Exchanger® energy recovery devices that will save an estimated 12.7 megawatts of power. Assuming a power cost of $0.05 kWh, PX Technology energy recovery solution will save the project an estimated $7.2 million of energy costs per year compared to operating with no energy recovery.