After all the activity this week, we can expect to see new desalination plants pop up in exciting places all over the world, including Qatar, Singapore, South Australia, Djibouti, and Saudi Arabia.  To find out what else is going on in water around the world, continue reading below:

M&A/ Partnerships

• The Desalination Research Institute and Hitachi Zosen of Japan have signed a 3-year research cooperation agreement to develop a way to use solar thermal energy in the operation of desalination plants.  Pilot tests will determine optimal design and operating conditions using a pulsed multi-stage design.
  http://www.desalination.biz/news/news_story.asp?id=6243&title=Saudi-Japanese+agreement+on+solar-thermal+desalination+research
• Aquatech has finalized a cooperation agreement with WasserBauGesellschaft Kulmbach GmbH (WBG), a leading water technology company based in Germany, to hold the exclusive North American license for WBG’s RSR Plus® Condensate Polishing Technology.  The technology will expand Aquatech’s range of offerings to customers in the power generation, semiconductor, electronics and chemical industries.
  http://www.desalination.biz/news/news_story.asp?id=6249&title=German+water-polishing+licence+granted+to+Aquatech
• State water utility Umgeni Water will receive a €35m loan from the European Investment Bank to improve water infrastructure in the city of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.  The utility will use the funding for new pipelines and upgrading of existing water supply, water treatment works, pumping and service reservoirs in

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