Business Services Industry

Vulnerability of Tourism and Industrial Sectors Encourages Installation of Southern East African and African Indian Ocean Islands Desalination Plants

Business Wire, August 15, 2007

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c65722) has announced the addition of the new Frost & Sullivan Report "Southern East African and African Indian Ocean Islands Desalination Plant Markets" to their offering.

This Frost & Sullivan research service titled Southern, East African and African Indian Ocean Island Desalination Plant Markets provides an overview of these little known desalination markets as well as industry challenges, market drivers and restraints, and a list of current installed desalination plants in each market. In this research service, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the following regional markets: Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, Comoros, Seychelles and Mauritius.

Interest in Desalination Grows as it Provides a Potentially Steady Source of Water Unaffected by Scarcity Issues and Changing Weather Patterns

Although desalination is currently not a commonly used technology either in Southern and East African countries or in the African Indian Ocean islands, governments and private organisations are strongly considering it as a way to meet the growing demand for potable and industry-quality water in these regions. In the Southern and East African countries of Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya, for instance, water supply is not only unreliable, but often not potable even when accessible. In fact, in many of these countries, water scarcity is often not the primary issue as much as uneven water distribution is. The region's water distribution infrastructure is poorly developed and the few pipes that are laid often have leakages. The rural population relies heavily on natural sources of water from rivers and boreholes, which exposes them to water-borne diseases, while the urban population's position is not significantly better.

"These issues, coupled with environmental factors such as changing weather patterns and climatic disasters that affect potable water supply are encouraging the uptake of desalination technologies," remarks the analyst of this research service. Urban end users that have the financial resources and require good quality water are turning to reverse osmosis desalination rather than rely on local water services. Industrial end users are also using reverse osmosis to pre-treat municipal water before it is used as process water. Rural and remotely located end users such as tourist lodges and commercial farmers are also using desalination. The tourism industry in Southern and East Africa is booming and with island-based tourist lodges often having limited or no sources of fresh water, they therefore have to desalinate seawater. Desalinated brackish groundwater can be a good source of water for commercial farmers.

Vulnerability of Tourism and Industrial Sectors Encourages Installation of Desalination Plants

The situation is much the same in Africa's Indian Ocean islands as they are equally vulnerable to climate changes and are also experiencing water supply constraints. The industrial and tourism sectors are affected, which are both important contributors to gross domestic product. Due to these issues, the islands are now trying to reduce their dependence on natural sources of water by turning to technologies such as desalination. However, the high costs of desalination plants and the subsequent costs of desalinated water are a major deterrent as is the energy-intensiveness of this technology in regions where power is a scarce commodity. End users in these markets, particularly municipal, have limited resources and depend on foreign aid to finance major projects.

From the participants' point of view, a key challenge is the location of end users. Desalination plant companies are generally located in South Africa, which requires them to travel large distances to reach their customers. The cost of travel can add a significant amount to the total cost of small desalination plants and their subsequent maintenance. Larger companies that are not located in these markets may, however, find it economically viable to supply end users with large-capacity plants that are typically used by municipal and industrial end users.

However, with the exception of some municipal and industrial installations, desalination plants in these markets are usually small in capacity. "Despite this, current interest levels and installed capacity indicate that the desalination plant markets in these countries are likely to experience medium level growth, particularly for small capacity plant applications," says the analyst.

For more information, visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c65722.>