The major energy requirement required for a seawater reverse osmosis plant is in the form of electrical energy. The primary energy requirement in the process is the electrical energy fed to high-pressure pumps to pressurise the feed seawater to the membranes. This high-pressure pump, being a high inertia load, requires very high torque at the time of starting. This requirement results in increased acceleration time of the motor, which subsequently increases the strain on the upstream electrical system from motor feeder to transformer. Such starting characteristic necessitates provision of a special starting scheme for the high-pressure pump motors. The seawater reverse osmosis plant of the Nuclear Desalination Demonstration Project (NDDP) was commissioned in October 2002 at Kalpakkam, India. This paper presents the experiences of problems faced owing to the typical starting characteristics of high-pressure pumps and provision of series reactor type motor starter for the same. Copyright © 2008 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.