JFE Engineering Corporation has been entrusted with the implementation of a pilot plant project for a decentralized water supply system in Australia by Japan痴 New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).*1 JFE Engineering Corporation plans to complete the study of pilot plant design and commercialization by the autumn of this year. After approval by NEDO, plant construction is to be completed by March 2011, with commercial operation to begin in 2014 after a 3-year trial operation period.
The trial will be conducted to demonstrate the performance of a decentralized water supply system developed by JFE Engineering. As key features, the system combines production of drinkable water from rainwater using membrane filters and purification/reuse of household wastewater, and relies on solar power as its energy source. These features will make it possible to reduce consumption of waterworks water by approximately 40% and electric power consumption by approximately 50%. As a decentralized system can be step-by-step expanded in response to population growth, it has significant advantages over the construction of large-scale structures such as dams, in terms of both land acquisition and environmental impacts.
JFE Engineering plans to implement the project through public-private sector collaboration with the support of the City of Kawasaki in Japan and the Queensland State Government in Australia. Concretely, the Kawasaki Waterworks Bureau will provide guidance on water quality/quantity control and the service rate system, while the Urban Water Security Research Alliance,*2 which is funded by the Queensland State Government, will cooperate in selecting the site for the pilot plant and defining the conditions for commercial operation.
Following the trial period, JFE Engineering will explore the possibility of commercializing the system, first in Queensland and then in other states, with the support of the Federal Government of Australia. In the future, considering wide-ranging development to other countries, particularly in Asia.
Reference: Commencement of water supply business with decentralized water supply system
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