Putting Power In Perspective

The water treatment facility will be the most technologically advanced and energy efficient desalination facility in the Western Hemisphere. Through its voluntary Energy Minimization Plan, this desalination facility will be net carbon neutral. Once operational, the Huntington Beach Seawater Desalination Facility will have a carbon footprint no greater than the carbon footprint that exists today by importing the same amount of water from Northern California. “The Huntington Beach Seawater Desalination Facility not only offers Orange County residents a new, reliable high-quality water source, but our water purification process will be carbon-neutral,” said Poseidon Vice President Scott Maloni.

Green House Gas (GHG) Reduction Plan
While Poseidon’s proposed seawater desalination project does not generate direct greenhouse gasses (GHG), the energy used to desalinate seawater comes from power plants that may create GHG emissions.  Because Poseidon supports the objectives of AB32, the California legislature’s Global Warming Solutions Act, it has offered to voluntarily commit to offsetting the gross indirect GHG emissions associated with the desalination operations even though the AB32 law does not apply to Poseidon’s operations. Poseidon will calculate the project’s gross indirect GHG emissions by multiplying its electricity use by the emissions factor.

State-of-the-Art Energy Recovery
In addition to purchasing carbon offsets, Poseidon will implement state-of-the-art energy minimization features.  For example, it will use an energy recovery system that allows for the reuse of more than 32 percent of the energy associated with the reverse osmosis water purification process.

Poseidon Takes the LEED
The project will follow the principles of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.  By incorporating green building design features, the total energy consumption of the plant’s service facilities will be reduced by six to 10 percent, which could save as much as 500 Megawatt-hours per year (MWh/yr).

On-Site Solar Power
Poseidon is exploring the installation of a rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system for solar power generation.  Poseidon is considering the same system that will be used at its Carlsbad facility.  If installed in Huntington Beach, it would accommodate solar panels on its roof surface, which covers 39,000 square feet and would generate about 606 MWh/yr of electricity.

Recycling and Reusing Carbon Dioxide
Poseidon will recover approximately 2,100 tons of CO2 annually from the reverse osmosis purification process and reuse that CO2 during the post-treatment process. Since 2000, Poseidon Resources has been working to construct a 50-Million-Gallon-Per-Day (MGD) seawater desalination plant at the site of the AES Power Station in Huntington Beach to provide a cost-certain, locally-controlled, drought-proof supply of water.  Once operational, the Huntington Beach desalination plant will provide enough drinking water to serve 300,000 Orange County residents annually at a guaranteed price and at no risk to taxpayers.  Poseidon Resources is currently endeavoring to obtain its State Lands Commission lease as well as its California Coastal Commission Coastal Development permit.  Construction of the proposed $350 million desalination project is scheduled to start in 2011 and is expected be operational by 2013.

Download a pdf of this News Release.