International Desalination Association Extends Deadline For Fellowship Award Program Applications To January 31, 2015

The International Desalination Association (IDA) has extended the deadline for applications for its 2014-15 Fellowship Program, giving candidates until January 31, 2015 to apply.

The Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW), located in Ruwi, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, is the host agency for the 2014-2015 IDA Fellowship Program, which offers a $10,000 US monetary award from IDA as well as a six-week attachment with PAEW.

Responsible for activating government policy with respect to securing the electricity supply and for providing and distributing adequate electrical power supply and potable water to various consumers – residential, industrial and commercial, PAEW performs studies and explores and evaluates multiple techniques for providing fresh water and power production. Oman has seven desalination plants, online or under construction, with capacity exceeding 50,000 m³/d.

Applicants for the 2014-2015 Fellowship Award must be IDA members and should have at least eight years experience in the field of potable water utilities management such as water networks (supply/distribution) and/or seawater desalination, including design of water networks (supply/distribution) or seawater desalination, construction, commissioning as well as operation & maintenance.

The attachment with PAEW will cover the water cycle from desalination to distribution. Beginning with an overview of PAEW’s operations, it will include exploration of Build-Own-Operate (BOO) plants in comparison with other procurement methods, an environmental impact assessment study on construction of seawater intakes, design and standards of evaporation ponds, brine disposal for small desalination plants located some distance from the sea, visits to plants and PAEW’s Customer Service operations, and meetings with top management.

IDA launched the Fellowship Award Program six years ago to facilitate the advancement of global expertise in desalination and water reuse through the exchange of talents, knowledge and skills. It is now considered to be one of the industry’s most prestigious awards, recognizing individuals who have demonstrated exceptional professional achievements and dedication to advancing desalination and water reuse. It provides recipients with an unprecedented opportunity to spend time with a host agency – a high profile, well-respected public utility or research organization – working alongside peers in the desalination industry and gaining insights into the host agency’s operations, strategies and policies. The host agency also benefits from the IDA Fellow’s experience and knowledge.

The monetary award covers the Fellow’s airfare and accommodations. The host agency covers his or her in-country living expenses while on attachment to work on a specific project and reserves the right to determine the specifics of the attachment and the level of monetary commitment. The IDA Fellow must also demonstrate the ability to secure additional sources of funding to allow him/her to complete the attachment.

Previous host agencies are PUB in Singapore, Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) in Saudi Arabia, Water Corporation and Murdoch University in Australia, and the United States Bureau of Reclamation, and the Ministry of Electricity & Water of the State of Kuwait (with sponsorship from Alghanim International).

For complete details on the Fellowship Program, application and guidelines, please visit http://idadesal.org/educationtraining/ida-fellowship-award-program/. For more information, visit http://www.paew.gov.om/

About IDA
The International Desalination Association is a non-profit association that serves more than 2,600 core members in 60 countries and reaches an additional 4,000 affiliate members. Its membership comprises scientists, end-users, engineers, consultants and researchers from governments, corporations and academia. IDA is associated with the United Nations as part of a growing international network of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). For more information, visit www.idadesal.org.