Thames Water plans to restart desalination plant – after drought has ended
Summary
Thames Water plans to restart its desalination plant in Beckton, east London, by the end of the year to help refill reservoirs during winter after the current drought ends. The plant has rarely operated since it opened in 2011 and faces financial and technical challenges.Key Facts
- Thames Water’s Beckton desalination plant is the only one in the UK and was built to provide drinking water during droughts.
- The plant has run only five times in 15 years, supplying the equivalent of about seven days’ water demand for London.
- It cost about £500 million to build and maintain, funded by customer bills.
- Thames Water hopes to restart the plant late this year to support reservoir recovery over winter.
- The decision to use the plant depends on weather, water demand, and reservoir levels.
- The plant uses special membranes to filter salt from seawater; these membranes recently reached the end of their life and face replacement issues.
- Running the plant is expensive, especially because of high electricity costs, and the company is financially strained and partly controlled by creditors.
- Thames Water’s performance during this drought will be carefully reviewed by government officials before deciding the company’s future.
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