Jordan to Desalinate Red Sea Water in Dead Sea

This report is none too clear, but the gist of the plan is to operate a desalination plant on the Red sea or even uphill near the Dead Sea. A byproduct of desalination happens to be concentrated brine usually equal to a third or so of the through put. In the gulf this brine is put back into the sea as conveniently as possible.

In this particular case we are pumping the sea water somewhat up hill to the Dead Sea and then running it all through a turbine to produce power sufficient to pay for the pumping and perhaps even all the energy cost of the desalination itself. If it can be made to work that efficiently, then it is a given that this is one of many such plants and that the Dead Sea will be slowly recharged.

The only limit then will be the ability of the Dead Sea to absorb brine, and since surface area expands as it fills, it is quite a lot larger than simple calculations would likely suggest.

We can certainly take it back to historical levels and even a great deal higher since it was once much fuller.

The natural high grade brines will sit under the layer of new brines and be pumped out as needed for industrial purposes. This is a small inconvenience.

Jordan to go solo with Red Sea to Dead Sea pipeline

http://www.terradaily.com/images/red-sea-dead-sea-pipeline-bg.jpg

The plan is for the pipeline to draw off 310 million cubic metres (10.5 billion cubic feet) of water each year, of which 240 million will be fed into the desalination plant at the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba, enabling an annual production of 120 million cubic metres of drinking water.

by Staff Writers

Amman (AFP) Sept 27, 2009

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Jordan_to_go_solo_with_Red_Sea_to_Dead_Sea_pipeline_999.html

Jordan has decided to go it alone and build a two-billion-dollar pipeline from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea without help from proposed partners Israel and the Palestinian Authority, an official told AFP.

"Jordan is thirsty and cannot wait any longer," said Fayez Batayneh, the country's chief representative in the mega-project to provide drinking water and begin refilling the Dead Sea, which is on course to dry out by 2050.

"Israel and the Palestinians have raised no objection to Jordan starting on the first phase by itself," Batayneh said.

"The first stage, at an estimated cost of two billion dollars, will begin in 2010 and should be completed in 2014 on a BOT (build, operate, transfer) basis," he said.

The plan is for the pipeline to draw off 310 million cubic metres (10.5 billion cubic feet) of water each year, of which 240 million will be fed into the desalination plant at the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba, enabling an annual production of 120 million cubic metres of drinking water.

Batayneh said the remaining 190 million cubic metres will be channelled towards the Dead Sea, the saltiest natural lake on the planet and the lowest point on the earth's surface.

Jordan, where the population of six million people is expanding by 3.5 percent a year, is recognised as one of the 10 driest countries in the world, with desert covering 92 percent of its territory.

The kingdom relies mainly on winter rain for its water needs, which are projected to reach 1.6 billion cubic metres in 2015.

Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan agreed in 2005 on the outlines of a project to channel two billion cubic metres of water a year via a 200-hilometre (120-mile) canal in order to restore the level of the Dead Sea, produce fresh water and generate electricity.

The total cost of the scheme has been estimated at 11 billion dollars.