Construction of the Sorek seawater desalination plant in Israel was begun on 16 January 2011 by SDL Desalination Ltd, a consortium led by IDE Technologies with Hutchison Water.
The 150 million m³/year plant, due for commissioning in 2013, will produce water at a cost of around 2.01 shekels (US$ 0.57) per m³, which has led to the reported freezing of the Ashdod project due to much higher water costs. The prime minister’s office is reported to have demanded that the contract with the national water company Mekorot be cancelled and the Ashdod project retendered.