Rosenberg Worley to design world’s first subsea desalination plant

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Freshwater company Waterise has awarded construction and engineering firm Rosenberg Worley a contract for the detailed engineering design of its concept for desalination and clean freshwater production based on subsea technology in Stavanger, Norway.

The team has been tasked with leveraging its expertise in subsea engineering and fabrication to develop a cost-efficient method for modularisation, installation and operation.

Rosenberg Worley described the contract as signifying its entry into a fast-growing and increasingly important segment of the sustainable global market, adding that there were also possibilities for upscaling the technology.

Waterise's desalination concept has the potential to meet the increasing demand for clean freshwater around the world. Using an energy-efficient reverse osmosis filtration process, the tech can is expected to produce approximately 50,000 m3 of fresh water per day - enough to support a mid-to-large size city. 

Read more: Rystad: Bigger desalination market essential for green hydrogen production

The company also claims that the tech has a "minimal impact" on the local marine ecosystem and removes reliance on scarce coastal land areas. 

"Providing clean fresh water to communities around the world shouldn’t be an issue. But it is, as the demands for this most basic need increases," said Bradley Andrews, President of UNCE, Worley.

"We’re committed to delivering a more sustainable world and we look forward to helping Waterise achieve its ambitions to bring subsea desalination technology to market at scale."

Niels Petter Wright, CEO of Waterise, added: "The collaboration with Worley marks an important milestone for Waterise. We’re now taking our technology into the first full-scale plant. Worley will be an important strategic partner for Waterise based on its competence and capacity in both subsea operation systems as well as desalination."

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