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Implementing Oceanus’s Pumped StorageDesal Plant in Chile
Oceanus's IPHROCES system.
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esalination plants typically deal with two major problems: the desalination process requires a large amount of energy, and it results in a large amount of brine, which is difficult to dispose of safely. Oceanus Power & Water has come up with an innovative solution to this problem: combining a pumped storage facility, which stores power in the form of elevated water that can be used to drive turbines, with a desalination facility. Gravity power alone can dramatically reduce the energy demands of the desalination process, while the resulting brine can be reinjected into the stored seawater as it is released back into the ocean, diluting it on site. Chile, a country that has been suffering from decades of drought and which is also moving forward with an ambitious decarbonization plan, has turned out to be a prime location for Oceanus’s technology. In this interview, Joan Leal, the chief development officer of Oceanus Power & Water and the president of its South American subsidiary Oceanus Energía y Agua de Sudamérica, tells Municipal Water Leader about the benefits of Oceanus’s solution and why it is such a good fit for Chile.
Joan Leal: Working in engineering and management consultancy for many years in several emerging economies
30 | MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER
PHOTO COURTESY OF OCEANUS.
Municipal Water Leader: Tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.
gave me a chance to see how important infrastructure and energy developments can be for society when the primary focus is on serving people’s needs through sustainable and innovative solutions. Looking for the right integration between society and infrastructure, I went to Stanford University to immerse myself in an innovative and entrepreneurial environment. My time in Silicon Valley took me to the roots of the world’s energy and water challenges, giving me a deep understanding of the nexus of infrastructure, energy, water, and technology. My journey in the infrastructure and energy sectors and my passion to make a difference in society led me to become an entrepreneur. I joined Oceanus Power & Water and developed an integrated, global, and sustainable solution capable of addressing the major challenges of the world today—fresh water supply and clean energy storage. As chief development officer, I’ve led the development of an integrated energy storage and water production solution, filed several patents, built relationships with power and water utilities, negotiated offtake agreements and term sheets, raised capital, led project development, and participated in the definition of regulatory frameworks in different regions. I hold a bachelor of science and master of engineering in civil engineering from universities in Chile, and I am a graduate of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
