Story perspectives
London Faces Water Crisis: £500m Desalination Plant Fails
9/29/2025
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Story summary
- London’s desalination plant has cost over £500m since 2010, yet operated five times and produced 7.2bn litres.
- Thames Water plans a £500m Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) to address shortages.
- TDRA will pump water from the Thames to reservoirs and replace it with treated sewage effluent.
- England could face a 5bn litres daily shortfall by 2055, especially in the southeast.
