{
  "id": 1509613,
  "title": "Britain’s only desalination plant remains idle during drought",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/britains-only-desalination-plant-remains-idle-during-drought",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-17T15:48:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Scientist",
    "slug": "new-scientist",
    "url": "https://www.newscientist.com/article/2585005-britains-only-desalination-plant-remains-idle-during-drought/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Britain's sole desalination plant, located in Beckton, eastern London, remains idle during the country's ongoing severe drought. Despite the river Thames experiencing historically low water levels, the £250 million Thames Gateway desalination plant has not been operational this year. Designed to supplement London's drinking water during extreme droughts, the facility was installed in 2010 at a cost of £250 million, but it remains dormant due to technical issues. The plant could produce up to 100 million litres of water per day, accounting for about 4% of Thames Water's daily supply. However, Thames Water spokespersons confirm the plant is undergoing maintenance, with repairs expected to resume operations by the end of 2027.",
  "summary": "Water flow in the river Thames has dropped low enough to warrant the use of England’s only large-scale desalination plant, but it hasn’t been switched on at all this year",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}