France co-funds water project

FRENCH Minister of State for Ecology Nicolas Hulot has announced that Paris would co-fund the first solar-powered desalination plant in the town Witsand in Hessequa Municipality.

Funding for the R8.6 million project is split evenly between France and the provincial government.

“The plant in Hessequa is a model that will be reproduced in France and South Africa,” Hulot told a briefing at the provincial government offices yesterday.

He said the technology used here had cleared the obstacle of using fossil fuel-derived energy to charge batteries that traditionally operated desalination projects. Instead, the plant is activated directly by solar panels.

“We have the same challenge in France. Desalination is one of the solutions but it comes at a cost... you will increase global warming if you drink water produced with using fossil fuels.”

Project manager Patrice Boyer said the plant will be running in October, pumping water into an existing reservoir in Hessequa from where gravity will feed it into households in Witsand, a hamlet with a population of a few hundred.

Hessequa was chosen as a pilot site because it has existing infrastructure. Boyer said the plant will shut down and start automatically, depending on sunlight. It will produce 100 kilolitres of potable water a day.