There are approximately 16,000 operational
desalination
Desalination is a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in Soil salinity control, soil desalination, which is an issue f ...
plants, located across 177 countries, which generate an estimated 95 million m
3/day of freshwater. Micro desalination plants operate near almost every natural gas or
fracking
Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of bedrock formations by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "frack ...
facility in the United States. Furthermore, micro desalination facilities exist in textile, leather, food industries, etc.
Operating Desalination Plants
The following table is a list of operating desalination plants. Criteria for inclusion on this list include:
* that it's operating (not proposed or decommissioned), and
* has a capacity of at least 100,000 cubic meters per day or it's the largest in its country.
* excludes desalination plants used primarily for mining
Algeria
Algeria is believed to have at least 15 desalination plants in operation.
*Arzew IWPP Power & Desalination Plant, Arzew, 90,000m
3/day
*Cap Djinet Seawater Reverse Osmosis 100,000 m
3/day
*Tlemcen Souk Tleta 200,000 m
3/day
*Tlemcen Hounaine 200,000 m
3/day
*Beni Saf 200,000 m
3/day
*Tenes 200,000 m
3/day
*Fouka 120,000 m
3/day
*Tipaza 100,000 m
3/day
*Skikda 100,000 m
3/day
*Hamma Seawater Desalination Plant 200,000 m
3/day built by General Electric
*Mostaganem, (Sonaghter) 200,000 m
3/day
*Magtaa Reverse Osmosis (RO) Desalination Plant 500,000 m
3/day, Oran
Aruba
The island of
Aruba
Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of ...
has a large (world's largest at the time of its inauguration) desalination plant, with a total installed capacity of per day.
Australia
The
Millennium Drought
The 2000s drought in Australia, also known as the Millennium drought is said by some to be the worst drought recorded since European settlement.
This drought affected most of southern Australia, including its largest cities and largest agricul ...
(1997–2009) led to a water supply crisis across much of the country. A combination of increased water usage and lower rainfall/drought in Australia caused state governments to turn to
desalination
Desalination is a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in Soil salinity control, soil desalination, which is an issue f ...
. As a result, several large-scale desalination plants were constructed (
see list).
Large-scale seawater reverse osmosis plants (SWRO) now contribute to the domestic water supplies of several major Australian cities including Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and the Gold Coast. While desalination helped secure water supplies, it is energy intensive (≈$140/ML). In 2010, a
Seawater Greenhouse
A seawater greenhouse is a greenhouse structure that enables the growth of crops and the production of fresh water in arid regions which constitute about one third of the earth's land area. This in response to the global water scarcity and peak ...
went into operation in Port Augusta.
A growing number of smaller scale SWRO plants are used by the oil and gas industry (both on and offshore), by mining companies to supply slurry pipelines for the transport of ore and on offshore islands to supply tourists and residents.
Bahrain
Completed in 2000, the Al Hidd Desalination Plant on
Muharraq
Muharraq ( ar, المحرق, al-Muḥarraq) is Bahrain's third largest city and served as its capital until 1932 when it was replaced by Manama. The population of Muharraq in 2012 was 176,583.
The city is located on Muharraq Island. Bahrain Int ...
island employed a multistage flash process, and produces per day. The Al Hidd distillate forwarding station provides 410 million liters of distillate water storage in a series of 45-million-liter steel tanks. A 135-million-liters/day forwarding pumping station sends flows to the Hidd, Muharraq, Hoora, Sanabis, and Seef blending stations, and which has an option for gravity supply for low flows to blending pumps and pumps which forward to Janusan, Budiya and Saar.
Upon completion of the third construction phase, the
Durrat Al Bahrain
Durrat Al Bahrain () is the third largest artificial island in Bahrain after Northern City and Diyar Al Muharraq Islands.
It lies south of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island.
Description
Durrat Al Bahrain islands include luxury villas w ...
seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant was planned to have a capacity of 36,000 cubic meters of potable water per day to serve the irrigation needs of the Durrat Al Bahrain development. The Bahrain-based utility company, Energy Central Co contracted to design, build and operate the plant.
Barbados
In 1994–1995 the island of Barbados experienced a severe 1 in 50 year severe drought that knocked much of the island's drinking water supply offline including the country's sole major hospital in the capital-city Bridgetown. An agreement was negotiated with
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
's
Ionics Inc. to build a reverse osmosis desalination plant on the south western coast of the island capable of supplying 20% of the islands population. The plant began operating within 15 months and was officially commissioned February 2000. Currently many cruise ships purchase water from Barbados due to its good quality.
Cayman Islands
*West Bay, West Bay, Grand Cayman
*Abel Castillo Water Works, Governor's Harbour, Grand Cayman
*Britannia, Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman
Chile
*Copiapó Desalination Plant
*Thorium Power Canada, with its affiliate, DBI Chile, have proposed plans to build a 10 MW demonstration
thorium
Thorium is a weakly radioactive metallic chemical element with the symbol Th and atomic number 90. Thorium is silvery and tarnishes black when it is exposed to air, forming thorium dioxide; it is moderately soft and malleable and has a high me ...
reactor in Chile to power the 20 million litre/day desalination plant. All land and regulatory approvals are currently in process.
China
China operates the Beijing Desalination Plant in
Tianjin
Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...
, a combination desalination and coal-fired power plant designed to alleviate Tianjin's critical water shortage. Though the facility has the capacity to produce 200,000 cubic meters of potable water per day, it has never operated at more than one-quarter capacity due to difficulties with local utility companies and an inadequate local infrastructure.
The Hong Kong
Water Supplies Department
The Water Supplies Department (WSD; ) is the department under Development Bureau of the Government of Hong Kong of the People's Republic of China providing a reliable and adequate supply of wholesome potable water and sea water to customers i ...
had pilot desalination plants in
Tuen Mun
Tuen Mun or Castle Peak is an area near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in what is now Hong Kong and can be dated to the Neolithic period. In the more re ...
and
Ap Lei Chau
Ap Lei Chau or Aberdeen Island is an List of islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island of Hong Kong, located off Hong Kong Island next to Aberdeen Harbour, Hong Kong, Aberdeen Harbour and Aberdeen Channel. It has an area of after land recl ...
using reverse-osmosis technology. The production cost was put at HK$7.8 to HK$8.4 /m
3.
[LCQ5 : Study on desalination](_blank)
info.gov.hk (January 10, 2007)[Pilot Plant Study on Development of Desalination Facilities in Hong Kong](_blank)
. Water Supplies Department, Government of Hong Kong, October 2007, Government of Hong Kong Hong Kong used to have a desalination plant in
Lok On Pai Lok or LOK may refer to:
Places
* Lok, Serbia, a village
* Lok, Levice District, Slovakia, a village
* Lok, Pakistan, a village
* Loka (pronounced Lok): a plane of existence in Dharma
People Surname Lok (English origin)
* Anne Locke, Lock ...
,
Siu Lam
Siu Lam () is an area and a village in Tuen Mun District, Hong Kong.
Administration
Siu Lam is one of the 36 villages represented within the Tuen Mun Rural Committee. For electoral purposes, Siu Lam is part of the So Kwun Wat
So Kwun Wat, comm ...
.
[Advisory Committee on the Quality of Water Supplies Minutes of Meeting No. 8](_blank)
. April 1, 2003. Government of Hong Kong
In 2014, the government confirmed the reservation of a 10-hectare site at
Tseung Kwan O
Tseung Kwan O New Town is one of the nine new towns in Hong Kong, built mainly on reclaimed land in the northern half of Junk Bay (known as Tseung Kwan O in Chinese/Cantonese language) in southeastern New Territories, after which it is named. ...
for the construction of a reverse-osmosis desalination plant with an initial output capacity of 50 million cubic metres per annum. Plans include provisions for future expansion to an ultimate capacity of 90 million cubic metres per annum, which will meet about 10 per cent of Hong Kong's fresh water demand. Detailed feasibility studies, preliminary design and a cost-effectiveness analysis are planned to be completed by 2014. A commissioning date of 2020 is envisaged.
Cyprus
A plant operates in Cyprus near the town of
Larnaca
Larnaca ( el, Λάρνακα ; tr, Larnaka) is a city on the south east coast of Cyprus and the capital of the district of the same name. It is the third-largest city in the country, after Nicosia and Limassol, with a metro population of 144 ...
. The Dhekelia Desalination Plant uses the reverse osmosis system.
Egypt
*Dahab RO Desalination Plants Dahab 3,600 m
3/day completed 1999. The facility in the South Sinai is being expanded to produce 15,000 m
3/day
*Hurgada and Sharm El-Sheikh Power and Desalination Plants
*Oyoun Moussa Power and Desalination
*Zaafarana Power and Desalination
*Remelah Desalination Plant
As of May 2022, Egypt had a total of 82 desalination plants with a combined capacity of 917,000 cubic meters per day.
Germany
Fresh water on the island of
Helgoland
Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possessions ...
is supplied by two
reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis (RO) is a water purification process that uses a partially permeable membrane to separate ions, unwanted molecules and larger particles from drinking water. In reverse osmosis, an applied pressure is used to overcome osmotic pre ...
desalination plants.
Gibraltar
Fresh water in
Gibraltar
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, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
is supplied by a number of
reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis (RO) is a water purification process that uses a partially permeable membrane to separate ions, unwanted molecules and larger particles from drinking water. In reverse osmosis, an applied pressure is used to overcome osmotic pre ...
and
multistage flash desalination plants. A demonstration
forward osmosis
Forward osmosis (FO) is an osmotic process that, like reverse osmosis (RO), uses a semi-permeable membrane to effect separation of water from dissolved solutes. The driving force for this separation is an osmotic pressure gradient, such that a "d ...
desalination plant also operates there.
India
India has two desalinization plants, the
Minjur Seawater Desalination Plant
The Minjur Desalination Plant is a reverse osmosis, water desalination plant at Kattupalli village, a northern suburb of Chennai, India, on the coast of the Bay of Bengal that supplies water to the city of Chennai. Built on a 60-acre site, it ...
and the
Nemmeli plant, both in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
.
Iran
An assumption is that around 400,000 m
3/d of historic and newly installed capacity is operational in Iran.
In terms of technology, Iran's existing desalination plants use a mix of thermal processes and RO. MSF is the most widely used thermal technology although MED and vapour compression (VC) also feature.
Israel
Israel Desalination Enterprises' Sorek Desalination Plant north of
Palmachim
Palmachim ( he, פַּלְמַחִים) is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located about ten kilometers south of the Tel Aviv area along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, among the sand dunes, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gan Raveh Region ...
was foreseen to provide up to 26,000 m³ of potable water per hour once it went online in June 2013 (that is ca. 228 million m³ when projected on an entire year). Once unthinkable, given Israel's history of drought and lack of available fresh water resources, with desalination Israel can now produce a surplus of fresh water.
The
Hadera
Hadera ( he, חֲדֵרָה ) is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel, in the northern Sharon region, approximately 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along 7 km (5&nbs ...
seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
is the largest seawater desalination plant in the world.
[Ashkelon Desalination Plant Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) Plant](_blank)
Water-technology.net. Retrieved May 29, 2011. The project was developed as a
build–operate–transfer
Build–operate–transfer (BOT) or build–own–operate–transfer (BOOT) is a form of project delivery method, usually for large-scale infrastructure projects, wherein a private entity receives a concession from the public sector (or the priva ...
by a consortium of two Israeli companies: Shikun and Binui, and
IDE Technologies.
By 2014, Israel's desalination programs provided roughly 35% of Israel's drinking water, about 50% in 2015, and it is expected to supply 70% by 2050. As of May 29, 2015 more than 50 percent of the water for Israeli households, agriculture and industry is artificially produced.
Additional desalination plants supply the entire freshwater needs of the city of
Eilat
Eilat ( , ; he, אֵילַת ; ar, إِيلَات, Īlāt) is Israel's southernmost city, with a population of , a busy port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on what is known in Israel as the Gulf of Eilat and in Jordan ...
by desalinating a mix of brackish well water and seawater. Similar plants exist in the
Arava and the southern coastal plain of the
Carmel range.
Kazakhstan
MAEK-Kazatomprom LLP operates sea water desalination plant in Aktau, Mangystau from 1967. Now its power comes to 74,000 m
3/day. Earlier it was a part of combined combinate with Nuclear plant and gas electric power stations. Also in Aktau there is membrane technology water desalination plant Kaspiy, which power comes to 20,000 m
3/day
Kuwait
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
does not have any permanent rivers. It does have some wadis, the most notable of which is Wadi Al-Batin which forms the border between Kuwait and Iraq.
Kuwait relies on water desalination as a primary source of fresh water for drinking and domestic purposes. There are currently more than six desalination plants.
Kuwait was the first country in the world to use desalination to supply water for large-scale domestic use. The history of desalination in Kuwait dates back to 1951 when the first distillation plant was commissioned.
Malta
Ghar Lapsi II 50,000 m
3/day
Maldives
Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
is a nation of small islands. Some depend on desalination as a source of water.
Mexico
The first desalination plant in Mexico was built in 1960 and had a capacity of 27,648 m
3/day.
As of 2006, there were 435 desalination plants in Mexico with a total capacity of 311,700 m
3/day.
One of the world's largest desalination plants (380,160 m
3/day) is planned for Rosarito.
Morocco
There are multiple desalination projects ongoing in Morocco, mostly desalinating seawater from the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
.
Norway
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
is a country with little to no problems with water access. Over 99% of the population's water supply comes from fresh water sources such as lakes, tarns, rivers and ground water. There are however three water works in Norway taking use of desalination of sea water and all of them are located in the county of
Nordland
Nordland (; smj, Nordlánnda, sma, Nordlaante, sme, Nordlánda, en, Northland) is a county in Norway in the Northern Norway region, the least populous of all 11 counties, bordering Troms og Finnmark in the north, Trøndelag in the south, N ...
, only providing around 500 people with water.
Oman
A pilot seawater greenhouse was built in 2004 near Muscat, in collaboration with
Sultan Qaboos University
Sultan Qaboos University, located in Al Seeb in the Muscat Governorate, is one of the two public universities in the Sultanate of Oman.
Most students entering the university are selected based on their performance in high school final examina ...
, providing a sustainable horticultural sector on the
Batinah coast.
[Seawater Greenhouse wins Tech Awards (2006, Oman & Tenerife)]
YouTube. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
* Ghubrah Power & Desalination Plant, Muscat
* Sohar Power & Desalination Plant, Sohar
* Sur R.O. Desalination Plant 80,000 m
3/day 2009
* Qarn Alam 1,000 m
3/day
* Wilayat Diba 2,000 m
3/day
There are at least two
forward osmosis
Forward osmosis (FO) is an osmotic process that, like reverse osmosis (RO), uses a semi-permeable membrane to effect separation of water from dissolved solutes. The driving force for this separation is an osmotic pressure gradient, such that a "d ...
plants operating in Oman
* Al Najdah 200 m
3/day (built by Modern Water)
* Al Khaluf
Palestine
Pakistan
A water desalination plant was recently inaugurated by Pakistan's Minister for Ports and Shipping at the port city of
Gwader on 01 Jan, 2018. This is one of the biggest of its kind plant in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. On the inauguration day the Pakistan's Minister for Ports and Shipping said in his address,
To drive this point home, he mentioned that this plant (which can hold 5 million gallons of water) will provide 254,000 gallons of clean potable drinking water per day – at Rs. 0.8 per gallon.
Qatar
*
Ras Abu Fontas
Ras Abu Fontas ( ar, راس بو فنطاس) is a coastal industrial area in Doha on the boundary with Al Wakrah Municipality in Qatar. The government has designated the district as a free economic zone starting in 2019.
Geography
In a 2010 surve ...
(RAF) A2 – 160,000 m
3/day. The country has plans for two plants with an additional 735,000 m
3/ day
Saudi Arabia
The
Saline Water Conversion Corporation
Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) is a government corporation that operates desalination plants and power stations in Saudi Arabia. It is the second largest electrical provider in the country. It is the largest desalinating sea water
...
of Saudi Arabia provides 50% of the municipal water in the Kingdom, operates a number of desalination plants, and has contracted $1.892 billion to a Japanese-South Korean consortium to build a new facility capable of producing a billion liters per day, opening at the end of 2013. They currently operate 32 plants in the Kingdom; one example at Shoaiba cost $1.06 billion and produces 450 million liters per day.
*Corniche RO Plant (Crop) (operated by
SAWACO)
*Jubail 1,400,000 m
3/day
*North Obhor Plant (operated by
SAWACO)
*Rabigh 7,000 m
3/day (operated by wetico)
*planned for completion 2018 Rabigh II 600,000 m
3/day (under construction Saline Water Conversion Corporation)
*
Ras Al-Khair Power and Desalination Plant
The Ras Al-Khair Power and Desalination Plant is a power and desalination plant located in Ras Al-Khair on the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia. It is operated by the Saline Water Conversion Corporation of Saudi Arabia. The plant began operating in ...
(operated by Saline Water Conversion Corporation) A hybrid plant serving Riyadh constructed in 2014, and producing 1,036,000 m
3/day of water and 2,400MW of electricity.
*Shuaibah III 150,000 m
3/day (operated by Doosan)
*South Jeddah Corniche Plant (SOJECO) (operated by
SAWACO)
*Yanbu
Multi Effect Distillation (MED), Saudi Arabia 146,160 m
3/day
Singapore
Desalinated water is planned to meet 30% of Singapore's future water needs by 2060.
Existing (25% of Singapore's 2017 water demand)
*SingSpring, Tuas (2005) – 30 million imperial gallons (mgd) / 136,380 m
3/day @ 3.5kWh/m3
*Sungei Tampines (2007) – 4,000 m
3/day, small scale variable salinity desalination.
*Tuas South, Tuas (2013) – 70 million imperial gallons (mgd) / 318,500 m
3/day @ integrated with a 411 MW on-site combined cycle gas turbine power plant
*Tuas (2017) – 137,000 m
3/day
*Marina East (2020) – 30 million imperial gallons (mgd) / 137,000 m
3/day. World's first full scale variable salinity plant capable of treating both river water and seawater.
*Jurong Island (2022) – 30 million imperial gallons (mgd) / 137,000 m
3/day. Located next to an existing power plant
Spain
Lanzarote
Lanzarote (, , ) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is located approximately off the north coast of Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering , Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the i ...
is the easternmost of the autonomous
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
, which are of volcanic origin. It is the closest of the islands to the
Sahara
, photo = Sahara real color.jpg
, photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972
, map =
, map_image =
, location =
, country =
, country1 =
, ...
desert and therefore the driest, and it has limited water supplies. A private, commercial desalination plant was installed in 1964 to serve the whole island and enable the tourism industry. In 1974, the venture was injected with investments from local and municipal governments, and a larger infrastructure was put in place in 1989, the Lanzarote Island Waters Consortium (INALSA) was formed.
A prototype
seawater greenhouse
A seawater greenhouse is a greenhouse structure that enables the growth of crops and the production of fresh water in arid regions which constitute about one third of the earth's land area. This in response to the global water scarcity and peak ...
was constructed in Tenerife in 1992.
*Alicante II 65,000 m
3/day (operator Inima)
*Tordera 60,000 m
3/day
*Barcelona 200,000 m
3/day (operator Degremont)
El Prat, near Barcelona, a desalination plant completed in 2009 was meant to provide water to the Barcelona metropolitan area, especially during the periodic severe droughts that put the available amounts of drinking water under serious stress.
*Oropesa 50,000 m
3/day (operator Técnicas Reunidas)
*Moncofa 60,000 m
3/day (operator Inima)
*Marina Baja – Mutxamel 50,000 m
3/day (operator Degremont)
*Torrevieja 240,000 m
3/day (operator Acciona)
*Cartagena Escombreras 63,000 m
3/day (operator Cobra , Tedagua)
*Edam Ibiza + Edam San Antonio 25,000 m
3/day (operator Ibiza – Portmany)
*Mazarron 36,000 m
3/day (operator Tedagua)
*Bajo Almanzora 65,000 m
3/day
South Africa
*Mossel Bay 15,000 m
3/day
*Transnet Saldanha 2,400 m
3/day
*Knysna 2,000 m
3/day
*Plettenberg Bay 2,000 m
3/day
*Bushman's River Mouth 1,800 m
3/day
*Lambert's Bay 1,700 m
3/day
*Cannon Rocks 750 m
3/day
Sweden
Sweden has two desalination plants for brackish water from the Baltic sea, one built 2016 in Herrvik on the island of Gotland with a capacity to produce 480 m
3/day, and another one with a capacity of 7 500 m
3/day in Kvarnåkershamn on the same island.
Taiwan
In February 2021 a desalination plant with a daily capacity of 13000 tons was built as an answer to a water emergency. The plant supposed to support semiconductor production in greater Hscinchu area from Nanliao.
[The Emergency Project of Seawater Desalination Plant, Hsinchu, Taiwan](_blank)
''HCP''.
Trinidad and Tobago
The
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of Gr ...
uses desalination to open up more of the island's water supply for drinking purposes. The country's desalination plant, opened in March 2003, is considered to be the first of its kind. It was the largest desalination facility in the Americas, and it processes of water a day at the price of $2.67 per .
[Ionics to build $120M desalination plant in Trinidad, Boston Business Journal]
''The Business Journals''. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
This plant will be located at Trinidad's
Point Lisas
Point Lisas is a major industrial centre in Trinidad and Tobago and is host to the ''Point Lisas Industrial Estate'' and the ''Port of Point Lisas'', both of which are managed by Plipdeco (the Point Lisas Industrial Port Development Company). Po ...
Industrial Estate, a park of more than 12 companies in various manufacturing and processing functions, and it will allow for easy access to water for both factories and residents in the country.
[Trinidad Desalination Plant](_blank)
. Waterindustry.org (October 26, 2000). Retrieved March 20, 2011.
United Arab Emirates
The majority of desalination facilities in the Emirates are overseen by the
Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority
Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority, also popularly known as SEWA, is a government utility in the Emirate of Sharjah which provides electricity, water and natural gas to approximately 300,000 consumers. It owns a bottled drinking water su ...
(SEWA).
The Jebel Ali desalination plant in Dubai, a dual-purpose facility, uses
multistage flash distillation
Multi-stage flash distillation (MSF) is a water desalination process that distills sea water by flashing a portion of the water into steam in multiple stages of what are essentially countercurrent heat exchangers. Current MSF facilities may ha ...
and is capable of producing 300 million cubic meters of water per year.
* Kalba 15,000 m
3/day built for Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority completed 2010 (operator CH2MHill)
* Khor Fakkan 22,500 m
3/day (operator CH2MHill)
* Ghalilah RAK 68,000 m
3/day (operator Aquatech)
* Hamriyah 90,000 m
3/day (operator Aqua Engineering)
* Taweelah A1 Power and Desalination Plant has an output per day of clean water. When completed, it is expected to raise the Emirates water produced by RO to 30%.
* Al Zawrah 27,000 m
3/day (operator Aqua Engineering)
* Layyah I 22,500 m
3/day (operator CH2MHill)
* Emayil & Saydiat Island ≈20,000 m
3/day (operator Aqua EPC)
* Umm Al Nar Desalination Plant has an output of /day.
* Al Yasat Al Soghrih Island 2M gallons per day (GPD) or 9,000 m
3/day
*
Fujairah F2 is an
Integrated water and power plant
An independent water and power plant (IWPP) or an integrated water and power project, is a combined facility which serves as both a desalination plant and a power plant. IWPPs are more common in the Middle East, where demand for both electricity ...
(IWPP) facility with RO, thermal, and power generation components. Its total capacity is 591,500m
3 of which 136,500m
3 is RO and 450,000m
3 is thermal as well as 2,000MW of electricity.
* A seawater greenhouse was constructed on Al-Aryam Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in 2000.
United Kingdom and Crown dependencies
The first large-scale plant in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, the
Thames Water Desalination Plant
The Thames Gateway Water Treatment Works or Beckton Desalination Plant is a desalination plant in Beckton, London, adjacent to Beckton Sewage Treatment Works. The plant takes brackish water from the River Thames and converts it into drinkable ...
, was built in
Beckton
Beckton is a suburb in east London, England, located east of Charing Cross and part of the London Borough of Newham. Adjacent to the River Thames, the area consisted of unpopulated marshland known as the East Ham Levels in the parishes of Bark ...
, east London for
Thames Water
Thames Water Utilities Ltd, known as Thames Water, is a large private utility company responsible for the public water supply and waste water treatment in most of Greater London, Luton, the Thames Valley, Surrey, Gloucestershire, north Wiltshir ...
by
Acciona
Acciona, S.A. () is a Spanish multinational conglomerate dedicated to the development and management of infrastructure (construction, water, industrial and services) and renewable energy. The company, via subsidiary Acciona Energy, produces 21 te ...
Agua. It was built in 2010 at a cost of £250m. The plant provides up to 150 million litres of drinking water each day (150,000 cubic metres) – enough for nearly one million people.
Jersey
The desalination plant located near La Rosière,
La Corbière
La Corbière ( Jèrriais: ''La Corbiéthe'') is the extreme south-western point of Jersey in St. Brélade. The name means "a place where crows gather", deriving from the word ''corbîn'' meaning ''crow''. However, seagulls have long since dis ...
, Jersey, is operated by
Jersey Water. Built in 1970 in an abandoned quarry, it was the first in the British Isles.
The original plant used a
multistage flash (MSF) distillation process, whereby seawater was boiled under vacuum, evaporated and condensed into a freshwater distillate. In 1997, the MSF plant reached the end of its operational life and was replaced with a modern reverse osmosis plant.
Its maximum power demand is 1,750 kW, and the output capacity is 6,000 cubic meters per day. Specific energy consumption is 6.8 kWh/m
3.
United States
Texas
There are a dozen different desalination projects in the
state of Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, both for desalinating groundwater and desalinating
seawater
Seawater, or salt water, is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L, 35 ppt, 600 mM). This means that every kilogram (roughly one liter by volume) of seawater has appro ...
from the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
. However, currently there are no seawater desalination plants earmarked for municipal purposes.
* El Paso:
Brackish
Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...
groundwater has been treated at the
El Paso, Texas
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...
, plant since around 2004. It produces of fresh water daily (about 25% of total freshwater deliveries) by reverse osmosis. The plant's water costlargely representing the cost of energyis about 2.1 times higher than ordinary groundwater production.
California
California has 17 desalination plants in the works, either partially constructed or through exploration and planning phases.
The list of locations includes
Bay Point, in the Delta,
Redwood City
Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California's Bay Area, approximately south of San Francisco, and northwest of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people to being a po ...
, seven in the
Santa Cruz /
Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California, south of the San Francisco Bay Area and its major city at the south of the bay, San Jose. San Francisco itself is further north along the coast, by a ...
,
Cambria
Cambria is a name for Wales, being the Latinised form of the Welsh name for the country, . The term was not in use during the Roman period (when Wales had not come into existence as a distinct entity). It emerged later, in the medieval period, a ...
, Oceaneo,
Redondo Beach,
Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California, located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. The city is named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 during the 2020 census, maki ...
,
Dana Point
Dana Point () is a city located in southern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 33,107 at the 2020 census. It has one of the few harbors along the Orange County coast, and with ready access via State Route 1, it is a po ...
,
Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by Oc ...
,
Oceanside and
Carlsbad.
* Carlsbad: The
Claude "Bud" Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant was constructed at a cost of $1 billion by Poseidon Resources and was the largest desalination plant in the United States when it went online December 14, 2015. It produces 50 million gallons a day to 110,000 customers throughout San Diego County.
* Concord: Planned to open in 2020, producing 20 million gallons a day.
[
* Monterey County: Sand City, two miles north of Monterey, with a population of 334, is the only city in California completely supplied with water from a desalination plant.
*Santa Barbara: The Charles Meyer Desalination Facility was constructed in ]Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...
, in 1991–92 as a temporary emergency water supply in response to severe drought. While it has a high operating cost, the facility only needs to operate infrequently, allowing Santa Barbara to use its other supplies more extensively. The plant was re-activated in the spring of 2017.
Florida
In 1977, Cape Coral
Cape Coral is a city located in Lee County, Florida, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico. Founded in 1957 and developed as a planned community, the city's population has grown to 194,016 as of the 2020 Census, a rise of 26% from the 2010 Census ...
, Florida became the first municipality in the United States to use the RO process on a large scale with an initial operating capacity of 3 million gallons per day. By 1985, due to the rapid growth in population of Cape Coral, the city had the largest low pressure reverse osmosis plant in the world, capable of producing 15 MGD.
As of 2012, South Florida has 33 brackish and two seawater desalination plants operating with seven brackish water plants under construction. The brackish and seawater desalination plants have the capacity to produce 245 million gallons of potable water per day.
The Tampa Bay Water Tampa Bay Water (TBW) is a regional wholesale drinking water utility that serves customers in the Tampa Bay, Florida region. The agency is a special district of the state created by inter-local agreement among six member governments. A nine-member ...
desalination project near Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
, was originally a private venture led by Poseidon Resources, but it was delayed by the bankruptcy of Poseidon Resources' successive partners in the venture, Stone & Webster, then Covanta (formerly Ogden) and its principal subcontractor, Hydroanautics. Stone & Webster declared bankruptcy June 2000. Covanta and Hydranautics joined in 2001, but Covanta failed to complete the construction bonding, and then the Tampa Bay Water agency purchased the project on May 15, 2002, underwriting the project. Tampa Bay Water then contracted with Covanta Tampa Construction, which produced a project that failed performance tests. After its parent went bankrupt, Covanta also filed for bankruptcy prior to performing renovations that would have satisfied contractual agreements. This resulted in nearly six months of litigation. In 2004, Tampa Bay Water hired a renovation team, American Water/Acciona Aqua, to bring the plant to its original, anticipated design. The plant was deemed fully operational in 2007,[Desalination: A Component of the Master Water Plan ](_blank)
tampabaywater.org and is designed to run at a maximum capacity of per day. The plant can now produce up to per day when needed.
Arizona
* Yuma: The desalination plant in Yuma, Arizona
Yuma ( coc, Yuum) is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 93,064 at the 2010 census, up from the 2000 census population of 77,515.
Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, M ...
, was constructed under authority of the state Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act, Public Law 93-320, and the laws authorizing three other conservation cost-sharing programs were begun June 24, 1974. In the 1996 farm bill, Public Law 104-127, they were repealed and replaced by a new ...
of 1974 to treat saline agricultural return flows from the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District into the Colorado River
The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...
. The treated water is intended for inclusion in water deliveries to Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, thereby keeping a like amount of freshwater
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...
in Lake Mead
Lake Mead is a reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River in the Southwestern United States. It is located in the states of Nevada and Arizona, east of Las Vegas. It is the largest reservoir in the US in terms of water capacity. ...
, Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
and Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
. Construction of the plant was completed in 1992, and it has operated on two occasions since then. With a full capacity of 73 million gallons per day of permeate water, it is the largest desalination plant in the US. The plant has been maintained, but largely not operated due to sufficient freshwater supplies from the upper Colorado River. An agreement was reached in April 2010 between the Southern Nevada Water Authority The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) is a government agency that was founded in 1991 to manage Southern Nevada's water needs on a regional basis in Clark County, Nevada, Clark County.
SNWA provides wholesale water treatment and delivery for t ...
, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a regional wholesaler and the largest supplier of treated water in the United States. The name is usually shortened to "Met," "Metropolitan," or "MWD." It is a cooperative of fourteen cit ...
, the Central Arizona Project
The Central Arizona Project (CAP) is a 336 mi (541 km) diversion canal in Arizona in the southern United States.
The aqueduct diverts water from the Colorado River to the Bill Williams Wildlife Refuge south portion of Lake Havasu ne ...
, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to underwrite the cost of running the plant in a year-long pilot project."A fresh start for Yuma desalting plant"
''Los Angeles Times'', May 1, 2010
References
{{reflist, 30em
Water desalination
Water supply infrastructure by country