In March 2017, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House), citing the New Indian Express, reported that the Indian state of Karnataka planned four desalination plants, working with IDE Technology India and the local firm Vagas. They were to serve Kolar Gold Fields, a planned new city meant to relieve Bengaluru. Sites were Mangaluru (INR 2,533.61 crore, about 380 million US dollars), Udupi (110 million), Kundapura (23 million) and Saligrama (12 million US dollars). In January 2017, IDE had already signed an MoU for 100,000 m³/day near Pudimadaka in Andhra Pradesh.
The report showed IDE expanding quickly across southern India and Indian states building desalination into plans for new urban development.