Texas has agreed a US$ 2 million loan for the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) to fund a study into site and transport options for a power and water project including a seawater desalination plant on the Texas Gulf coast. The project will provide additional water supplies and add diversity to the region’s water sources.
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) closed the loan through the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) programme to finance GBRA’s feasibility study on a seawater desalination project. GBRA could save some US$ 563,000 over the life of the loan.
The loan will enable GBRA to identify site, transmission and delivery options for an integrated water and power project on the Texas Gulf Coast. GBRA will examine the feasibility of diverting and treating seawater from the Gulf of Mexico to convey it to central and Gulf coastal regions of South Texas.
The SWIFT programme, last week, opened its application period for its 2016 funding cycle. interested parties have until 5 February 2016 to submit a two-page preliminary application.
GBRA serves DeWitt, Victoria, Calhoun, Refugio, Gonzales, Caldwell, Hays, Comal, Guadalupe, and Kendall counties.