TechLeandro: ERI Wins Contract For Desalination Plant

(Another story in our TechLeandro series spotlighting local innovators. Know another local high-tech firm? Send a message or leave a comment.)

A San Leandro company has been awarded its second-largest contract ever to build the energy-saving pumps that will lie at the heart of a desalination plant in Israel, according to a report from the Reuters news agency.

Energy Recovery Inc., at 1717 Doolittle Drive, is a world leader in systems for the more efficient transformation of seawater into drinking water.

ERI is also making pumps for a second desalination plant in Israel.

"We are very encouraged to see the increased level of activity in the desalination industry this year," ERI CEO Tom Rooney said in a statement.

Last July ERI in San Leandro where it makes ceramic parts that can withstand enormous pressures.

ERI says it has more than 12,000 devices installed worldwide, and estimates that its clients save in excess of one billion dollars in energy costs every year by using its energy-efficient pumps.

ERI is publicly traded (ERII). It went public in July 2008, closing at $9.83 per share on its first day, according to Hoover's MoneyCentral. The stock was trading at $2.16 per share Tuesday morning, according to ERI's investor relations web page.

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