Isle’s pre-feasibility review helped a UK water utility prepare for future water challenges
The UK has seen water resources come under increasing pressure from climate change, population growth, and stricter abstraction limits. While hotter and drier summers and more variable rainfall are reducing water reliability, demand is increasing in many regions.
One utility is exploring decentralised ‘manufactured water’ options in order to help build resilience. Small package desalination systems are one example, offering a flexible way to boost supply when and where needed.
The utility wanted to explore how this decentralised, containerised desalination model could work with a final effluent dilution approach for coastal brine discharge.
Isle carried out a pre-feasibility review of this approach for our client. Our team reviewed regulation and technology options, as well as site, environmental, and feasibility factors and next steps. This has given the client the confidence to move forward into a full feasibility and outline design stage.
Benefits of Approach/Innovation
- Drives innovation: The report provides a view of innovation in package desalination, helping our client stay ahead of industry change.
- Informs investment: Our approach highlights technology options available to the UK market which will help our client make an informed choice.
- Increases water supply: This project is an example of a new, decentralised approach to desalination in the UK that diversifies regional water sources.
Specialist Services Involved
- Water resilience planning: Our technical, regulatory and environmental expertise helped our client prepare to strengthen long-term supply security.
- Decentralised systems knowledge: Our knowledge of modular and containerised treatment systems showed how small-scale desalination could fit into a wider resource strategy.
- Regulatory navigation: We helped the client anticipate approval challenges by sharing our in-depth understanding of UK drinking water and discharge regulations
- Environmental integration: Our team evaluated how desalination and wastewater processes could manage brine more sustainably.
- Feasibility support: We provided evidence based recommendations which allowed our client to progress to a detailed feasibility stage.
Outcomes
- Technology scan: Our team reviewed package desalination technologies to understand which would work best for smaller and decentralised use.
- Regulatory review: We reviewed Regulation 31 barriers to using RO-based desalination in the UK and explored practical ways to overcome them.
- Site assessment: We undertook a review of appropriate sites, taking into account abstraction sources, discharge options and other infrastructure considerations.
- Feasibility review: Our team provided recommendations for next steps, including a feasibility review.
Key contact
For enquiries and further information, please contact Joe Leeves, Principal Consultant at Isle Utilities.