Water firm to consult on desalination plans by 2027

Anglian Water has revealed more information about proposals for two desalination plants in a bid to secure water supplies for the region.

In January, the company awarded a £29m contract to partnership TYPSA-Stantec - desalination and engineering firms - to develop plans for the plants in Norfolk and Lincolnshire.

Anglian Water said that, without intervention, it estimated a daily shortfall of approximately half of the current volume of water entering the network by 2050, in what is the "driest and fastest growing" region of the UK.

"The benefits of seawater desalination are that it provides a climate-resilient source of water," said Anglian Water.

"Whilst traditional water resources are dependent on rainfall and river flows, desalinated water comes from the sea, meaning it is available all year to support supplies during periods of drought and increasing water scarcity."

The water company said the desalination plans, together with the creation of two new reservoirs, were part of a 2025-2030 £11bn investment plan.

Anglian Water hoped to have "a shortlist of potential sites for both desalination plants by the end of this year before preferred sites are identified in 2027".

Further consultation and engagement would then take place as "the plans evolve", the company said.

Caister-on-Sea in Norfolk and Mablethorpe in Lincolnshire have previously been mentioned as potential sites.

Seawater desalination is a relatively new technology within the UK water industry, and the two proposed new plants would be the first of their kind in the Anglian Water region.

The plants will work by abstracting water from the North Sea, using pre-treatment, reverse osmosis and remineralisation, before blending treated water into the supply.

The company said brine waste would be dispersed via a long sea outfall and well-designed diffusing systems.

The release of brine back into the sea is controversial, with some concerned about the potential impact on the marine environment.

The highly salty water left after desalination is toxic to marine life and today's desalination facilities produce huge quantities of it.

The area Anglian Water serves spans from as far north as Grimsby in Lincolnshire to Southend-on-Sea, Essex and from Northampton and Milton Keynes in the west to Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth in the east.

Anglian Water said the region was growing and it was adding 70,000 new customers every year.

Currently, water supplies remain under pressure following successive heatwaves and prolonged dry weather.

In some areas, particularly Norwich and Norfolk, Anglian Water said it was concerned as rivers it used to extract drinking water were running exceptionally low, such as the River Wensum.

In the East of England, half of the water supply comes from groundwater aquifers.

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