Hyosung Ebara and Korea South-East Power held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a renewable water desalination plant at Yeongheung Thermal Power Plant on Yeongheung Island in Incheon on September 22. The plant is part of the New Growth Engine Smart Project implemented by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy. The new desalination plant, whose construction has just started, is a ‘solar power multi-general system,’ which will be developed in a hybrid style through an optimal combination of a reverse osmosis-type water desalination plant and an evaporation-type seawater desalination plant.
The ‘solar power multi-general system’ is significant in that it utilizes solar energy in water desalination for the first time in the world, which not only allows for the acquisition of water resources, but also provides a means for eco-friendly freshwater production. Hyosung Ebara will design and construct the plant, which will be capable of churning out 2,000 tons of freshwater a day, by June 2010, and operate and manage the facility for five years thereafter, before handing it over to Korea South-East Power.
If Hyosung Ebara successfully develops technology for a high-efficiency water desalination plant through the project and parlays the technology into an export item, the company will be able to beat rivals in the race to occupy the global reverse osmosis-type water desalination market, estimated at 12 trillion won, by banking on its technological edge in high-efficiency water desalination.
A water desalination plant is a facility that converts seawater into freshwater, which can then be used for drinking, as well as industrial and farming applications. Countries around the world make constant investments in this area in an effort to solve water shortages resulting from desertification and worldwide environmental pollution. The water desalination market is growing at an annual rate of 17 percent, and is expected to reach 62 trillion won in 2017.
