We lower our impact on the environment wherever possible. Our desalination facility uses 40% less energy compared with conventional plants and the methods used during the process means that chemical pre-treatment is not needed, ensuring minimal impact on the marine and coastal ecology.
To assess our impact on the marine environment further, we carried out a study into the local fish communities. The study measured the number of tropical fish species in the test site close to the plant compared to two representative control sites nearby. The results identified 82 species of tropical fish and coral reef species in the test site around the brine discharge complex, compared to the two control sites nearby which rarely exceed eight species due to the poor environment not offering any shelter.
This concentration of species, across the whole food chain, in such a small area can be contributed to the rocky bottom that was blasted in order to lay the intake and brine discharge pipes for the plant. The rock creates shelters for species and larvae, acting as an artificial reef.
