Throughout Mr. Arlosoroff’s email to Mr. Brooks that I have in front of me he quotes the “…unit of water “EX PLANT” is again 52 USC/C.M.” and “…The Ashkelon plant produces water for 52-55 USC/C.M. (EX PLANT)” (My caps added). I can only go by what the documents in front of me say. Since $0.52/m3 is well below all other costs for true sea water desalination I have seen around the world it would be very helpful for our argument to see a detailed cost breakdown of the figures from this BOT tender. Is the cost of land included? How is the financing arranged and at what rates? Facts can become fiction when it comes to desalination numbers as you well know. I have seen a recent bid for a desalination plant in Saudi Arabia that would produce water in the $0.90/m3 meter to $1.10/m3 range, and Saudi Arabia has a lot of cheap energy. I recall seeing a document that discussed a dispute between BP, and Egypian gas company and a Palestinian company over who had the rights to the gas to be used at the first Ashkelon plant and the contract cost for this gas. It was said that this gas price would not be duplicated in the future because of the special circumstances involved. Maybe you know about this issue. I don’t question your integrity or your professional experience. It is just that desalination numbers around the world are all over the map and there should be some way to arrive at a standard. In the end, I will put up the cost to transport water from Turkey to Israel and Palestine using waterbag technology against any desalination numbers. Again, look at photos of waterbags and desalination plants. What looks cheaper and easier to build? The tugs and the plumbing for the waterbag system are simple off-the-shelf technology. Thanks for your comments. What are your opinions on waterbag technology and economics? Terry Spragg

The Israeli government issued a public BOT tender. The BOT Project is for financing, design, construction, operation and transfer of the plant with guaranteed production capability of 100 mcm/year for a term of 25 years. After 25 years the plant will be transferred, at no additional cost, to the state of Israel. The initial price was set at 52.7 cent/m3. There are no hidden fees!

The cost of production must be less than what it sells for since I don’t know of any subsidy. The last numbers I have are from last year, the cost of the water at Hadera is about 7% less than the price in Ashkelon.

I suggest you look at a picture of a waterbag (see http://www.waterbag.com) and then look at a photo of the inside of a desalination plant. Based on steel and cement, membranes, etc, versus fabric and a zipper, what looks like it would be the most inexpensive system to construct? And the cost of energy to operate a desal plant versus the cost of energy to move the same volume of water through the ocean using waterbags gives a clear advantage to waterbag technology.

And this doesn’t even put a value on the environmental advantages of waterbag technology versus desalination plants, the cost of the expensive coastal property, etc.

To enter this argument you must base your opinions on documentable facts.

T. Spragg

The number of 55 cents or so, at the Ashkelon plant is the *total* cost the Israeli government buys the water. In the plant being built in Hadera, about 100 km north to Ashkelon, the price will be even lower.

Elad