The Thames Water Desalination Plant or Beckton Desalination Plant is a water desalination plant in Beckton, London, United Kingdom. The first of its kind in the UK, it was constructed for Thames Water by a consortium of Interserve, Atkins Water and Acciona Agua. The plant was officially opened by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on 2 June 2010. The plant provides up to 150 million litres of drinking water each day – enough for nearly one million people.
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Background
Much of Thames Water's supply area is classed by the Environment Agency as 'seriously water stressed', with customers in London, Swindon and Oxford particularly at risk of water restrictions during extended periods of dry weather. Building a new treatment plant that treats water from the brackish waters of the River Thames, turning into clean, fresh drinking water, will help reduce the risk of water restrictions and ensure that severe water rationing is never required. The plant will be used to convert brackish water from the River Thames into clean drinking water during times of drought or extended periods of low rainfall, or to maintain supplies in the event of an incident at other water treatment facilities. Architects Broadway Malyan designed the plan to RIBA Stage D and acted as expert witness at public enquiry.
Facts and figures
Criticism
Former London Mayor Ken Livingstone criticised the plant in 2007, calling it a "misguided and a retrograde step in UK environmental policy." Livingstone, arguing that the plant was expensive and unnecessary, said that Thames Water should instead focus on reducing waste caused by leakage and that people should be encouraged "to use less water, not more."