IDE's Ashkelon Desalination Plant was declared Desalination Plant of the Year at the prestigious Global Water Awards ceremony in Dubai.

Widely recognized by the international water industry as the world's largest, most advanced desalination plant of its kind, IDE's seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant in Ashkelon, Israel was awarded the title under the category of a desalination plant, completed in 2005, which represented the greatest contribution to the progress of the international desalination industry. 

At the nomination stage, IDE's Ashkelon Plant was placed at the top of the award's short list, quoted as "the world's largest SWRO plant with a 320,000 cu.m/day (84 MGD) capacity...It is more than twice the size of the largest existing SWRO plant and raises the ambition of the whole RO sector, proving SWRO can meet the challenges of large-scale municipal supply. At $0.52/cu.m ($1.97/1000g) it is one of the lowest desalinated water prices in the world." (Global Water Intelligence magazine, Volume 42, Number 3 - 23 January 2006). 

The awards were given on the basis of over a thousand votes, cast by readers of Water Desalination Report, Global Water Intelligence, and members of the International Desalination Association.

The Global Water Awards were set up by Global Water Intelligence Magazine to acknowledge the innovation and commitment of the companies and organizations working to ensure that there is water for all in generations to come. Now in their second year, the awards are widely recognized as the most prestigious symbol of achievement in the global water industry.