Energy Recovery, Inc. PX Devices Contracted for Largest Desalination Plant in Australia

Industry-Leading Energy Recovery Devices Will Help Victorian Government Deliver Affordable Fresh Water to Melbourne and Geelong by Significantly Reducing Energy Use

SAN LEANDRO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Energy Recovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:ERII), a leader in the design and development of energy recovery devices for desalination, today announced that its PX Pressure Exchanger(TM) (PX(TM)) devices will be implemented in the Victorian Desalination Project -- slated to be the largest seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant in Australia -- to help deliver affordable fresh water to the cities of Melbourne and Geelong. To be constructed by AquaSure (a consortium sponsored by SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT and its affiliate Degremont, world leader in desalination technology, Thiess and Macquarie Capital), the plant will be located in the Wonthaggi region of the State of Victoria. The desalination plant will provide up to 150 billion liters of water per year -- around one-third of Melbourne's annual water supply -- with the possibility of future expansion to 200 billion liters. Energy Recovery anticipates delivery of its PX devices in two phases during the first half of 2010.

"For seawater desalination to work as a sustainable solution to global water scarcity, the water it supplies must be affordable. Energy consumption represents an important portion of the overall cost of desalination, so it is critical to conserve as much energy as possible," stated Remi Lantier, CEO of Degremont. "Energy Recovery's PX device is a proven technology for significantly reducing energy usage in desalination, which is why we have implemented the devices at large desalination plants all over the world, including in Perth, Australia, and Barcelona, Spain. What's more, the energy saved by deploying the PX technology will also help us achieve our overall goal of making the Victorian Desalination Project an environmentally friendly, green facility."

Implementing Energy Recovery's PX devices at the Victorian Desalination Project will save more than 49 MW of energy -- equaling a savings of $35 million -- and offset an estimated 263,000 tons of CO₂ annually. The Victorian Desalination Project is the fifth large-scale desalination plant in Australia to include the PX technology, as devices are currently operating or contracted for installation at the Southern Seawater Desalination Plant, the Perth-Kwinana plant, the Cape Preston facility in Western Australia and the Adelaide plant in South Australia. In total, Energy Recovery is helping to produce more than 1.1 million m³ (295 million gallons) of fresh water per day across Australia, saving an estimated 108 MW of energy.

"The Victorian Desalination Project represents a long-term solution to the Melbourne region's increasing water shortages, and we are honored that the AquaSure consortium has elected to implement Energy Recovery's PX devices to reduce energy and deliver affordable fresh water," said Borja Blanco, senior vice president of Energy Recovery, Inc. "The PX device has a proven track record at large desalination plants throughout Australia and the rest of the world, validating the technology as the highest-performing, most reliable isobaric energy recovery device solution today."

Energy Recovery's PX devices reduce the energy consumption of SWRO systems by up to 60 percent, making desalination a cost-effective solution for clean water supply. PX devices also reduce the carbon footprint of desalination, saving more than 750 MW of energy and reducing CO₂ emissions by more than 4.6 million tons per year worldwide. More than 7,000 PX devices are currently deployed or under contract to be installed at desalination plants across the globe.

About ERI

Energy Recovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:ERII) designs and develops energy recovery devices that help make desalination affordable by significantly reducing energy consumption. ERI's PX Pressure Exchanger(TM) (PX(TM)) device is a rotary positive displacement pump that recovers energy from the high pressure reject stream of seawater reverse osmosis systems at up to 98% efficiency. The company is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area with offices in key desalination centers worldwide, including Madrid, Shanghai, Florida and the United Arab Emirates. For more information on Energy Recovery Inc and PX technology, please visit www.energyrecovery.com.

    Source: Energy Recovery, Inc.

Released December 15, 2009