IDE Technologies


IDE Technologies is an Israeli water desalination and water treatment company that develops and operates desalination and water-treatment plants for municipal and industrial clients worldwide. The company is known for both thermal and membrane desalination technologies, and for delivering some of the world’s largest seawater reverse osmosis facilities.

History

IDE was founded in 1965 by Alexander Zarchin, Ukrainian-born engineer. In the late 1960s and 1970s, it supplied over 50 small desalination units to military and civilian facilities in Iran, including installations operated by the Iranian Air Force, as part of efforts to address local water shortages.
During its early decades, IDE focused primarily on thermal desalination technologies, particularly Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) and Mechanical Vapor Compression (MVC). From the 2000s onward, IDE expanded its portfolio to include membrane-based desalination, especially seawater reverse osmosis. In 2013, it agreed to design the Carlsbad desalination plant in Carlsbad, California. It was expected to be completed by 2016, however, due to the continuing drought in California, plant completion was advanced to late 2015, and was eventually finished in December, 2015. Throughout the following decades, the company expanded internationally. Other projects include plants in India, Chile, China, Australia, North America, Venezuela, and other regions.
IDE also operates in both the municipal and industrial water sectors, providing engineering, construction, and long-term operation and maintenance services. Its high-recovery reverse osmosis solutions, primarily the MAXH2O processes for brine concentration and wastewater treatment, have been applied to sectors such as power generation, mining, and microelectronics as well as municipal wastewater treatment in the United States, South America and Asia.
In 2017, the company became fully owned by Alfa Water Partners, an investment partnership established by Avshalom Felber and Amir Lang, and continues to operate as a privately held company.
IDE is headquartered in the Hasharon Industrial Park in Kadima, Israel and is led by CEO, Alon Tavor.''''''

Technologies & Processes

  • Thermal desalination - Multi-effect distillation and mechanical vapor compression units, which recover and reuse waste heat and are widely used in power and industrial plants. IDE also developed MVC evaporators and Vacuum Ice Maker technology, applied both in desalination and in niche applications such as all‑weather snow production.
  • Seawater reverse osmosis systems, including high-capacity “mega-plants” using energy-efficient configurations such as the Pressure Center design, which were first implemented in Ashkelon. They centralize high-pressure pumping and energy recovery equipment.
  • Vertical 16‑inch membrane arrays, first used at Sorek I, to reduce footprint and improve hydraulic performance.
  • Boron removal processes for achieving drinking-water standards in desalinated seawater, first deployed at Hadera.
  • Modular Prefabricated Design, in which desalination units are pre-assembled off-site and shipped as modules. This was used in projects such as Sino Iron and Quebrada Blanca.
  • Direct-Drive Pumps - A patented direct-steam-drive solution in which high-pressure pumps are connected directly to a steam turbine, utilizing both electricity and steam generated on-site. This direct drive concept eliminates the inefficiencies associated with traditional desalination systems, including the electricity generator, electric motor, variable frequency drives, and transmission systems. By streamlining the energy flow, IDE has achieved a more flexible and efficient operation, directly responding to varying water demand. The direct drive system at Sorek 2 contributes to up to a 10% reduction in Specific Energy consumption compared to similar desalination facilities.
  • High-recovery solutions – IDE has developed systems to minimize brine and maximize water recovery including, MAX H₂O Desalter – A reverse-osmosis system integrated with salt recovery technology, reaching up to 98 % recovery for challenging industrial wastewater and, Pulse-Flow RO – a single-stage RO configuration that uses periodic pulsed brine flow to prevent fouling and scaling, extending membrane life and improving efficiency.

Notable projects

Notable projects in Israel

  • Ashkelon Desalination Plant – Commissioned in 2005 as one of the first large SWRO plants worldwide, using the Pressure Center configuration and supplying roughly 15% of Israel’s water demand at the time.
  • Hadera Desalination Plant – Operational since 2009; at commissioning, it was one of the world’s largest SWRO plants and introduced IDE’s boron-removal process.
  • Sorek I – Opened in 2013 as the largest SWRO facility in the world at that time, using vertical 16‑inch membranes and receiving the 2014 GWI Desalination Plant of the Year award.
  • Sorek 2 – Be’er Miriam – Began operation in 2025. A mega desalination plant with direct steam‑driven pumps and integrated carbon-reduction measures; when fully operational, it is expected to produce about 670,000 m³ of potable water per day.
  • Western Galilee - Birkat Miriam Desalination Plant - IDE is commissioned to finance, design, construct, and operate it.

International notable projects

  • Carlsbad Desalination Plant – A 204,000 m³/day SWRO plant, the largest seawater desalination facility in the Americas when commissioned, for which IDE provided design, equipment, and operational services.
  • Tianjin MED Plant – A large multi-effect distillation facility integrated with a power station, using waste heat to produce desalinated water.
  • Reliance Industries Desalination Facilities – MED and SWRO units supplying process water to one of the world’s largest refinery complexes.
  • Sino Iron – A modular desalination plant producing around 140,000 m³/day for mining operations, regarded as the first large-scale preassembled desalination plant of its kind.
  • Cherokee Wastewater Treatment Plant – A reuse facility using PFRO technology to achieve high recovery for indirect potable reuse.
  • Prospect Lake Clean Water Center – A large membrane-based direct potable reuse plant delivered through a public–private partnership.
  • Dos Bocas Petrochemical Pretreatment Project - The first large-scale brackish water treatment plant by IDE to produce ultra-pure water for the cogeneration plant of Dos Bocas, one of Mexico’s largest refineries.
  • Aconcagua - An 86,400 m³/day desalination plant that will provide fresh water to the mining and industrial clients in the region.
  • Bonaire Desalination Plant - A low-energy consumption, chemical-free desalination plant which produces 5,600 m3/d of drinking water to meet the high demands of Bonaire’s nearly 22,500 residents.

Awards and Recognition

  • The Globee Award in the Water Management Technology Innovation category for its holistic, and sustainable desalination and energy center solution.
  • The IDRA Industry and Sustainability Award for Lowest Carbon Footprint in Desalination for Sorek 2-Be'er Miriam Desalination Plant.
  • Gold winner for the Global Water Innovator Award of the Energy and Environment Foundation Global Water Awards 2024.
  • Best P3 Utility Project of the Year Award by P3 Bulletin
  • Desalination Company of the Year.
  • Recognized as “50 Smartest Companies” by MIT Technology Review in 2015
  • Desalination Plant of the Year for Ashkelon and Sorek I.
  • GWI Desalination Deal of the Year for the Carlsbad project.