Desalinization
Drinking water straight from the ocean
Water Scarcity in Cabo Verde: The Fundamental Challenge
Cabo Verde faces an acute water scarcity challenge, which is one of the nation’s most critical development hurdles. This scarcity is rooted in both the country’s geography and the effects of climate change.
Geographic Constraints: As an arid archipelago, Cabo Verde has a severe lack of natural freshwater resources:
- No Permanent Rivers or Lakes: There are no permanent rivers or natural lakes of significant size.
- No Permanent Rivers or Lakes: There are no permanent rivers or natural lakes of significant size.
Groundwater Depletion: Due to low and unpredictable precipitation, the groundwater level (aquifer level) is steadily falling. This occurs because the rate of extraction (for agriculture, human consumption, and industry) often exceeds the rate of natural replenishment.
The Desalination Imperative: Consequently, Cabo Verde relies heavily on desalination plants to meet the majority of its potable water needs. This solution, while essential for survival, ties water supply directly to the high cost and consumption of energy (fossil fuels), creating a critical water-energy nexus where high energy costs directly translate into high water costs.
Integrated Desalination and Energy Efficiency
In partnership with our international partners, we install advanced Reverse Osmosis (RO) desalination plants.
These systems are crucial for addressing Cabo Verde’s severe water scarcity. To counter the high energy costs associated with desalination, our plants utilize state-of-the-art energy recovery technology to ensure maximum cost efficiency and performance.
Key Technology Features:
- Reverse Osmosis (RO): The primary method used to produce fresh, potable water from seawater.
- Energy Recovery Devices (ERDs): These devices capture hydraulic energy from the high-pressure brine (reject water) and transfer it directly to the low-pressure feed water stream.
- Cost Efficiency: By reusing energy that would otherwise be wasted, these systems significantly reduce the required input power for the high-pressure pumps, thereby lowering the plant’s overall electricity consumption and operational costs, which is vital in a high-tariff environment like Cabo Verde.