The new Uramin desalination plant will supply water for the Trekkopje
Uranium project and increase the water supply to the region. Namibia, the
world's fifthlargest producer of uranium has an extremely dry climate with
erratic and sparse rainfalls; and within the nation, natural resources such
as diamonds, copper, uranium, silver, tungsten and lead are abundant.
The project, awarded to Keyplan (Pty) Ltd Namibian Subsidiary is expected
to provide 20 million cubic meters of water per year to the mine initially.
An expansion to the project could double the capacity to address the needs
of nearby residents as well as possibly other mines. Keyplan’s selection of
ERI PX® Pressure Exchanger technology as the plant’s energy recovery
solution is due in large part to its increased global presence in areas such
as the Middle East and North Africa, as well as its flexibility for other
applications, including the mining sector. Adrian Viljoen, Keyplan’s
technical director says that the ERI technology provides the right solution
to maximize power savings, an important factor for the region. The plant
will be equipped with PX220 devices. Construction of the plant is expected
to start early next year, with initial water production anticipated by 2009.
Borja Blanco, ERI Vice President, Large Projects Group, stated “Southern
Africa as well as other dry countries are in need of desalination, and
specifically our technology to ensure the most reliable and economical in
terms of energy savings is provided. We are happy to provide a solution that
will promote safe drinking water as well as other creative applications such
as uranium mining.”
Earlier this year, ERI was awarded the Global Water Awards 2007
Environmental Contribution of the Year by desalination industry leaders. In
addition, the Company was named the 2006 and 2007 U.S. Export Import Bank
and US Commerce Department’s “Environmental Exporter of the Year,” an honor
awarded for its technological leadership and innovation in bringing
cost-effective desalination to nations around the globe. The San Leandro,
Californiabased company also received the European Desalination Society’s
prestigious Sidney Loeb Award for outstanding innovation in 2006.
Currently, ERI’s patented PX technology is making cost-efficient
desalination of seawater possible in over 30 countries worldwide, covering
six continents.
About ERI®
Energy Recovery, Inc. (ERI) is the global leader in high efficiency
energy recovery products and technology. Our PX Pressure Exchanger® (PX)
energy recovery device is making desalination affordable. The PX device is
rotary positive displacement pump that recovers energy from the highpressure
waste stream of SWRO desalination systems at up to 98% efficiency with no
downtime or scheduled maintenance. Since its introduction in 1997, PX
technology has emerged as the industry standard solution for SWRO
desalination. There are currently over 6,000 PX units installed or
contracted in SWRO plants worldwide, significantly reducing the cost to
produce over 5.2 million cubic meters (1.4 billion US gallons) of fresh
water per day, and saving customers an estimated 500 MW of energy or over
$350 million a year in operating costs.
ERI’s headquarters is situated in the San Francisco Bay Area; San Leandro,
California USA with offices in every continent of the globe including:
Sunrise, Florida; Madrid, Spain; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Shanghai, China; and
service representatives in Sydney, Australia. For more information, please
go to www.energyrecovery.com
Contact Us:
Audrey Bold
North America
1908 Doolittle Dr
San Leandro, CA 94577
Phone: +1 (510) 483-7370
Fax: +1 (510) 483-7371 Email: sales@energy-recovery.com
