Opening remarks - water security

Opening remarks from guest speakers at the IDA World Congress in Perth

Speakers addressed a broad range of water management topics that provided a setting for the desalination industry in general and Australia specifically (Perth is the venue for this, the 13^th IDA World Congress).

A video from and follow-up call to Sir Richard Branson highlighted the unique position that the water/desalination industry occupies. Water, he noted, has no economic substitute, is resilient to inflation, recession and rising interest rates. With falling desalination production costs, so energy costs no longer outweigh the benefits desalination can offer. The water industry provides wealth creation opportunities

The IDA Presidnet is Imad Makhzoumi. He described the Australian desalination examples as, “models of sustainability and environmental stewardship." The desalination industry has an environmental responsibility, including a drive to maximise energy efficiency and minimise the environmental footprint, and notes the recent “Action for Good” conference in Portofino, the IDA’s humanitarian outreach programme and recent Blue Paper concerning the environment and desalination in the Gulf.

Completed in 2006, the Perth desalination plant was described by The Bill Marmion, the Minister for the Environment – water, Western Australia, as, ‘setting new benchmarks’ for environmental compliance including the purchase of renewable energy for production and notes that desalination offers ‘climate resilience’

Singapore’s four national taps is presented in which desalination is integrated within a water management portfolio. This has been driven by necessity because Singapore measures only 30 x 20km but is home to over 5 million people. Malaysian imports of water are supported by catchment management promoting rainwater harvesting (every single rooftop and drain serves this function and must therefore be clean and efficient); water reuse – presently 30% of all supply water is reused, anticipated to rise to 50%, and; desalination. The Minister noted that effective water pricing is important to the transferability of the Singapore model – value the water appropriately within a stable political structure that encourages long term big investment. Singapore’s water agreements with Malaysia end in 2061 by which time Singapore aims to be self-sufficient in water.

This message of integrated water management solutions was echoed in the Australian case by Don Farrel, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water. He noted the increased uncertainty in water that Australian’s are faced with, as illustrated by a long term trending decline in net reservoir storage and notes that future water supplies must be climate independent. This, he says, requires international effort and information flows and noted that innovation was ‘alive and well’.

Tom Mollenkopt, Chief Executive of the Australain Water Association, described how with the opening of the 2^nd desalination facility for Perth, by 2012 between 10-40% of all Australian city water will be supplied from desalination. By contrast and by way of illustration of the pace of development, in 2006 this percentage contribution was minimal.