In February 2022, the California Coastal Commission hearing on Poseidon Water's proposed desalination plant in Huntington Beach, set for 17 March, was postponed at the company's request, the Orange County Register reported. The hearing was now expected in May. The $1.4 billion plant was to supply water for 400,000 people. Without this final permit, Poseidon could not finalise contract terms with the Orange County Water District. Mitigation for environmental damage was among the unresolved issues.
The delay showed how far large seawater desalination on the California coast depended on the permitting process, in which mitigation for marine impacts remained an open point of contention.
Source: Orange County Register