THE EARL OF BESSBOROUGHasked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made in the development of processes for desalting water with a view to the export of improved plant.
§ LORD KENNETThe Minister of Technology authorised the Atomic Energy Authority to undertake a three-year R. & D. Programme into desalination technology in 1965 at a cost of £1.3 million. The programme has been extended for a further three years at a total cost of £5.3 million.
In the first programme the major emphasis was on multi-stage Bash (M.S.F.) distillation in collaboration with Weir Westgarth Limited. The technical success of this programme is best judged by the overseas sales in the period and the increase in plant size. In the last two years Weir Westgarth have won contracts in Australia, Qatar, Malta and 394WA Jersey and further success is expected this year. At the beginning of the programme in 1965 the largest commercial plant built was 1.2 imperial million gallons per day (M.G.D.): to-day commercial plant sizes are required up to 4 M.G.D. units and the A.E.A./Weir Westgarth programme can demonstrate United Kingdom capability to build commercial plants up to a unit size of 10 M.G.D. Since 1965 the cost of M.S.F. plants has been reduced significantly and this trend will continue.
Significant reductions in the capital cost of electrodialysis plant and improvements in operational reliability have resulted from the A.E.A.'s joint development programme with William Boby, Limited. This firm has recently won contracts in Italy and Iran.
Alternative methods of desalination are also being developed by the U.K.A.E.A. and its industrial collaborators.
House adjourned at thirteen minutes past six o'clock