Veolia to supply desalination plant for Cornwall

South West Water has appointed Veolia Water Technologies and Solutions to manufacture and supply Cornwall’s first desalination plant.

The scheme, to be sited at Par, will involve extracting seawater from St Austell Bay to receive initial treatment at the desalination plant. The water will then be transferred to Cornwall’s biggest water treatment works at Restormel for a secondary phase of treatment before being circulated for consumption to around 300,000 people.

South West Water said the plan will provide an additional, long-term, climate-resilient water source capable of producing up to 20 million litres of water a day – about 40% of the current water demand for Cornwall.