Is thermal desal plant economically feasible for Chennai?

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

Could the success of thermal desalination plants in Lakshadweep Island
could be replicated in Chennai to quench the thirst of the city?

National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) says that there are
plans to replicate the technology in a bigger way in Chennai by
setting up a 10 MLD plant provided it is economically viable.

NIOT director M A Atmanand told Express that a detailed project report
is being worked out to set the plant. “The large scale project should
be economically viable. The reverse osmosis technology is a proven
one. Thermal desalination project is still under research and at
development stage,” he said.



“The cost of developing water from this technology is high but in
Lakshadweep we don’t have any other option but to go in for thermal
desalination plant,” says Atmanand while rejecting allegations of NIOT
being slow in developing the technology on to a large scale.



Interestingly, basking at the initial success of the technology which
mimics the way nature produces rain water in Kavaratti in Lakshadweep
Island, Ministry of Earth sciences wanted to build larger thermal
desalination plants and chose Chennai, which had faced the biggest
water crisis in 2002-03 when water was transported through trains and
tankers from far off places.



The project was initiated under then director of NIOT S Kathiroli who
came out with world’s first LTTD plant at Kavaratti, Lakshadweep
islands and the first floating desalination plant when the 1 MLD plant
was commissioned in 2006.

 “It is not only 10 MLD thermal desalination, we can build bigger
desalination plant which would release just a one per cent more
salinity in disposed water when compared to reverse osmosis
desalination plant which lets out 50 per cent more salinity in
disposed water. This could be eco-friendly besides not affecting the
fishing stock, The ministry has adopted desalination as its Flagship
Program” he says.

But there are allegations that nine years after commissioning the
first floating desalination plant, things have taken a slow turn as
the plan to build the desalination plant by National Institute of
Ocean Technology, progressed on a slow pace after Dr Kathiroli’s term
as director got over. Atmanand rejects the allegations.



While initially, the project was contemplated in 2007 to be
commissioned within 24 months after approval, the detailed project
report is yet to be prepared, sources reveal. But Atmanand says the
proposal to build the 10 MLD desalination plant was taken few years
ago by. “The technology can only be developed if it is economically
viable,” he says.

“I don’t want to give false promises. Fist we will study, if it is
economically viable, then only it will be implemented,” he says.

This could result in the city waiting a little longer to savour the
water from the eco friendly technology