Private players are reshaping desalination says report

Private water companies are “reshaping global desalination” with nine of the top ten capacity additions in 2015 coming from private sector players according to market researcher Bluefield Research.

The public and private firms making up the world’s top 25 desalination system owners added close to 25% of 2015’s capacity growth of some 524 Ml/d said Bluefield in its 2015 edition of its annual analysis of the top tier desalination companies by capacity Global Desalination Ownership Rankings: Markets and Company Trends.

of ownership positions, geographies, and plants of the largest desalination owners by capacity, including government entities, pure-play water companies, Japanese trading houses, and infrastructure investors.

On commissioning its Carlsbad plant in California, Poseidon Resources joined the global top 25 private players making it the first US member of the capacity leaders according to Bluefield. “Poseidon’s new position highlights the role of private players in desalination particularly as governments and utilities seek strategies to minimize the impact of diminishing water supplies,” said Bluefield president, Reese Tisdale.

While the lion’s share of desalination development activity is in the Middle East-North Africa region, key players will use desalination to grow their capacity in various areas of high activity including Chile, Mexico, India, and Singapore said Bluefield.
“Competition for new plant additions is intense.  There are so few large-scale water projects being tendered at any given time, we have seen a spike in geographic diversification among companies like Hyflux, GS Inima, RWL Water and Acciona Agua,” said Tisdale.

Bluefield has forecast further shifts though merger and acquisition. It highlighted the earlier-voiced indications from Israel Chemicals that it might sell its stake in IDE and suggested that financial difficulties at Abengoa could result in its sale of stakes in projects in Ghana and Algeria.

According to Bluefield’s report some 85% of the top 25 players’ capacity is “in-region driven by state-owned assets and independent water providers.”

The report covers the “ownership positions, geographies, and plants of the largest desalination owners by capacity, including government entities, pure-play water companies, Japanese trading houses, and infrastructure investors.”