Wind-powered desalinization plan for South Australia

[depakid]

Plan for more SA desalination plants.
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A proposal has been announced for about 20 wind-powered desalination plants along the South Australian coastline, stretching from Ceduna to Robe. International company Siemens has banded together with Australian-based Windesal for the project.

Siemens Australia's managing director Albert Goller says the hub of the project would be Port Pirie in the mid-north of SA. "We are not looking for government subsidies. What we want to do is we want to prove how this concept works and we're going to do it in one community first and then we're going to move on," he said.

"Every community that's close to the ocean can use salt water to solve their water problems and that's a beautiful position and we see a bright future not only in South Australia, but in all Australia."

Windesal chief executive Jonathan Whalley says brine would not be pumped into Spencer Gulf. He said Flinders University was investigating using the brine from desalination to grow algae. "Then harvest the algae for biofuels which can actually then be used back in our plants, in our generators," he said.

Mr Whalley says brine could also be used in the generation of commercial-grade salt, or soda ash, for glassmaking.

More: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/20/2905035.htm?site=news