LG Chem's water treatment business unit wins contract to supply its NanoH2O reverse osmosis membranes to Ashdod Rehabilitation Project in Israel co-owned by Shapir and GES

May 18, 2023 (press release) –

LG Water Solutions Wins Ashdod Desalination Project, Strengthening Its Leadership Position in the Mediterranean Seawater Desalination Market

-LG Chem’s water treatment business unit LG Water Solutions will supply RO membranes to the Israeli Ashdod Rehabilitation Project
-LG Water Solutions aims to cement its key position in the desalination market, driven by advanced manufacturing capabilities and industry-leading 99.89% salt rejection RO technology

SEOUL, May 18, 2023 – LG Water Solutions, LG Chem’s business unit specialized in water treatment and a leading manufacturer of NanoH2O™ reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, announced today that it has been selected as the exclusive RO membrane supplier for the Ashdod Rehabilitation Project in Israel, co-owned by Shapir and GES.

The facility is one of the five largest desalination plants in Israel, with a production capacity of 336,000 m3/day, accounting for nearly one sixth of the total 600 million m3/year volume of desalinated water produced in the country. Shapir and GES will add a 150 MW power plant and operate the facility as an independent power producer to supply the power needed for plant operations.

“We are extremely honored to have been chosen by Shapir and GES as the membrane supplier for the Ashdod plant,” said Juan Carlos de Armas, Sales Director of Global Large Projects at LG Water Solutions. “This project marks a major milestone for LG Water Solutions and further solidifies our position as a key player in the desalination industry. Our advanced manufacturing capabilities, the industry's leading 99.89% salt rejection RO technology, coupled with exceptional technical and commercial support, have been instrumental in driving our remarkable growth trajectory in this sector.”

LG Water Solutions will supply LG SW 440 SR G2 membranes to replace all existing seawater RO (SWRO) membranes in the first pass system. Incorporated with LG Water Solutions’ proprietary Thin Film Nanocomposite (TFN) technology, LG NanoH2O™ RO membranes deliver the industry’s highest level of salt rejection. This feature significantly improves the first-pass product quality reducing the flow treated by the second pass, which prolongs the service life of second-pass membranes and reduces overall energy consumption. The membranes are slated to be commissioned by mid-2024.

The winning of this large-scale project signifies LG Water Solutions’ continuous and rapid expansion in the Mediterranean region. Since 2016, LG Water Solutions have accrued more than 2,000,000 m3/day of contracted SWRO capacity in the area through new Greenfield projects and replacements.

In Israel alone, NanoH2O™ elements have retrofitted existing membranes at renowned desalination facilities, including Hadera, Palmachim and Ashkelon, further leading to consecutive replacements. With the forthcoming installation at Ashdod, NanoH2O™ RO elements will produce an estimated capacity of 825,000 m3/day in Israel, accounting for more than one-third of the country’s total desalination capacity at that time.

In Egypt, more than half of the country’s total desalination capacity of around 970,000 m3/day of seawater is treated by NanoH2O™ RO elements sourced from some of the country’s largest installations, such as El Galala, East Port Said, and El Alamein desalination plants.

The Canary Islands have been relying on NanoH2O™ RO membranes for over a decade. Today, LG Water Solutions supplies around 45% of its desalinated capacity of the Islands.

LG Water Solutions’ ground-breaking TFN technology improves permeate quality at lower feed pressures, resulting in substantial reductions in power consumption, operating expense (OPEX), and carbon emissions. These advantages, combined with a dedicated team delivering expert technical and commercial support, have contributed to the accelerated growth of LG Water Solutions in the global desalination industry.

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