Scientist: there is nowhere to build a desalination plant in Yalta and there is no need to

As the scientist notes, Russia has equipment for full water desalination. However, in order to put it into operation, knowledge of many other technologies, specialists competent in this area and the fulfillment of all the necessary requirements of regulatory authorities are required.

“For the development of desalination activities, there are still no fixed requirements in the field of sanitary norms and rules for ecology and health care. The reason is that there were no precedents for the construction and operation of large desalination plants in Russia. Even to start such experiments, Crimea needs documentary confirmation and successful examination of the project in various regulatory authorities”, - said Ilya Nikolenko.

According to him, the environmental aspect is no less important. In Russia, it is forbidden to discharge into the sea highly mineralized wastewater with a sodium and chloride content of more than 19 grams per liter, and with the technologies under consideration using reverse osmosis, this limit will be exceeded many times.

“The decision to create a desalination plant in Yalta, in the most moisture-rich region of Crimea, was unexpected for me. The lands of the South Coast are distributed, and there are very few free coastal zones. During the construction and operation of the desalination plant, it is necessary to create a sanitary zone of the enterprise and places for seawater intake. How to create it in this resort town? Moreover, the next years, most likely, will be rich in water for the Crimea, and the need for operating desalination plants will disappear”, - added Ilya Nikolenko.

In his opinion, the next dry period in Crimea may come in 6-8 years, therefore, it is at this time that it is better to focus on the preparation of sound technical and technological solutions for water desalination. Today, the scientist notes, it is better to direct efforts to improve the methods of collecting and transporting water from natural sources, since the peak of drought in the Crimea has already passed.