Chairman appointed for Australian desalination centre

Graeme Rowley, a former executive director of Fortescue Metals, has been appointed chairman of the National Centre for Excellence in Desalination at Murdoch University, Australia.

Rowley joined Fortescue in May 2003 from an executive position at Rio Tinto plc and has previous directorships at Dampier Port Authority, the Pilbara Development Commission, the Council for the West Pilbara College of Tafe and the Western Australian State Government’s Technical Advisory Council.

The centre is funded by a Aus$ 20 million (US$ 17 million) commitment from the federal government with additional funding from the WA state government. Project participants are designing and constructing a desalination pilot testing facility at the university.