There are approximately 16,000 operational desalination plants, located across 177 countries, which generate an estimated 95 million m3/day of fresh water.[1] Micro desalination plants operate near almost every natural gas or fracking facility in the United States. Furthermore, micro desalination facilities exist in textile, leather, food industries, etc.[2]
The following table is a list of operating desalination plants. Criteria for inclusion on this list include:
| 25px Algeria | Aïn Témouchent | Béni Saf | Beni Saf Desalination Plant | 200000m2 | 2009 | |
| Algiers | Algiers | Hamma Desalination Plant | 200000m2 | 2008 | ||
| Boumerdès | Djinet | Cap Djinet Desalination Station (Reverse Osmosis) | 100000m2 | 2012 | ||
| Chlef | Ténès | Tenes Desalination Plant | 200000m2 | 36.014149, 0.128339 | 2015 | |
| Mostaganem | Mostaganem | TEC Sonaghter Desalination Plant | 200000m2 | 2012 | ||
| Oran | Mers El Hadjadj | Magtaa Reverse Osmosis (RO) Desalination Plant | 500000m2 | 2014 | ||
| Skikda | Skikda | Skikda Desalination Plant | 100000m2 | 2009 | ||
| Tipaza | Fouka | Fouka Desalination Plant | 120000m2 | 2008 | ||
| Tipaza | Tipaza Desalination Plant | 100000m2 | 36.6771°N 2.7582°W | |||
| Tlemcen | Souk Tlata | Souk Tlata Desalination Plant | 200000m2 | 2011 | ||
| Honaine | Tlemcen Hounaine Desalination Plant | 200000m2 | 2011 | |||
| 25px Australia | New South Wales | Sydney | Sydney Desalination Plant | 250000m2 | 2012 | |
| Queensland | Gold Coast | 125000m2 | 2009 | |||
| South Australia | Adelaide | Adelaide Desalination Plant | 300000m2 | 2012 | ||
| Victoria | Dalyston | Victorian Desalination Plant | 410000m2 | 2012 | ||
| Western Australia | Cape Preston | Cape Preston Desalination Plant | 140000m2 | 2012 | ||
| Perth | Perth Seawater Desalination Plant | 130000m2 | 2006 | |||
| Binningup | Southern Seawater Desalination Plant | 270000m2 | 2012 | |||
| 25px Bahrain | Muharraq Island | Al Hidd | Al Hidd Desalination Plant | 272760m2 | 26.2225°N 50.6625°W | 2000 |
| 25px Barbados | Saint Michael | Bridgetown | Ionics Desalination Plant | 30000m2 | ||
| 25px Chile | Atacama Region | Caldera | Caldera Desalination Plant | 100000m2 | ||
| 25px China | Tianjin | Tianjin | Beijing Desalination Plant | 200000m2 | ||
| 25px Cyprus | Larnaca | Larnaca | MN Larnaca Desalination Co | 64000m2 | ||
| 25px Germany | Schleswig-Holstein | Helgoland | Combined Desalination Plants for Island | 150000m2 | 54.1744°N 7.8907°W | |
| 25px India | Tamil Nadu | Chennai | Minjur Seawater Desalination Plant | 100000m2 | 13.3169°N 80.3381°W | |
| Nemmeli | Nemmeli Desalination Plant | 100000m2 | 12.7038°N 80.2256°W | 2012 | ||
| 25px Israel | Central | Palmachim | Palmachim Desalination Plant | 123000m2 | 31.9364°N 34.7115°W | |
| Sorek Desalination Plant | 625000m2 | 31.9436°N 34.7324°W | 2013 | |||
| Haifa | Hadera | Hadera Desalination Plant | 348000m2 | 32.4658°N 34.8852°W | ||
| Southern | Ashdod | Mekorot's Desalination Plant | 274000m2 | 31.8497°N 34.6856°W | ||
| Ashkelon | Ashkelon Desalination Plant | 329000m2 | 31.6353°N 34.5228°W | |||
| 25px Kazakhstan | Mangystau | Aktau | Innovation Projects Engineering | 74000m2 | 43.6506°N 51.1552°W | 1967 |
| 25px Kuwait | Ahmadi | Mina Abd Allah | Shuaiba North Desalination Plant | 136000m2 | 29.0355°N 48.1533°W | |
| Shuaiba South Desalination Plant | 205000m2 | 29.0323°N 48.1554°W | ||||
| Zour | Az-Zour Desalination Plant | 524000m2 | 28.7363°N 48.2527°W | |||
| Capital | Shuwaikh | Shuwaikh Desalination Plant | 225000m2 | 29.3535°N 47.9415°W | ||
| Jahra | Doha | Doha East Desalination Plant | 191000m2 | 29.3743°N 47.7894°W | ||
| Doha West Desalination Plant | 502000m2 | 29.3722°N 47.7841°W | ||||
| Subiya | Subiya Desalination Plant | 455000m2 | 29.6701°N 47.9714°W | |||
| 25px Malta | Southern Region | Siġġiewi | Għar Lapsi Reverse Osmosis Plant | 20000m2 | 35.8286°N 14.4185°W | 1982 |
| 25px Maldives | Kaafu Atoll | Malé | Malé Water & Sewerage Company | 11000m2 | 4.171°N 73.5084°W | 2003 |
| 25px Mexico | Baja California | 27648m2 | 1960 | |||
| 25px Morocco | Souss-Massa | Chtouka Aït Baha | Chtouka Aitbaha Desalination Plant | 400000m2 | 30.1397°N -9.6485°W | 2022 |
| 25px Oman | Al Batinah South | Ar Rumays | Barka 4 Desalination Plant | 281000m2 | 23.7075°N 57.9742°W | 2018 |
| 25px Qatar | Al Wakrah | Doha | Ras Abu Fontas | 160000m2 | 25.2057°N 51.6163°W | 1981 |
| 25px Saudi Arabia | Eastern Province | Jubail | Saline Water Conversion Corporation | 1009000m2 | 26.9035°N 49.7608°W | 2000 |
| Khobar | Saline Water Conversion Corporation | 432280m2 | 26.1788°N 50.2069°W | 2000 | ||
| Mecca Province | Jeddah | Saline Water Conversion Corporation | 364000m2 | 21.1176°N 39.1911°W | 1994 | |
| Shuaiba Desalination Plant SWCC | 582290m2 | 20.67°N 39.5268°W | 2001 | |||
| Medina Province | Yanbu | Saline Water Conversion Corporation | 321420m2 | 23.863°N 38.3781°W | 1998 | |
| Abu Dhabi[3] | Al Shuweihat | Al Shuweihat S1 | 459000m2 | 24.1651°N 52.5697°W | 2001 | |
| Al Shuweihat | Al Shuweihat S2 | 459000m2 | 24.1569°N 52.5692°W | 2009 | ||
| Al Taweelah | Taweelah A1 | 231800m2 | 24.7604°N 54.6797°W | 1999 | ||
| Al Taweelah | Taweelah A2 | 382000m2 | 24.761°N 54.6826°W | 2000 | ||
| Al Taweelah | Taweelah B | 736000m2 | 24.7658°N 54.6866°W | 2005 | ||
| Al Taweelah | Al Taweelah RO | 909200m2 | -24.7628°N 54.6956°W | 2022 | ||
| Mirfa | Mirfa International Power and Water Company plant | 241000m2 | 24.121°N 53.447°W | 2014 | ||
| Umm Al Nar | Umm Al Nar plant | 432000m2 | 24.4348°N 54.4876°W | 2003 | ||
| Dubai[4] [5] | Jebel Ali | Jebel Ali Power Plant and Water Desalination | 2227600m2 | 25.059°N 55.118°W | 2019 | |
| Fujairah | Fujairah | Fujairah F1 | 595500m2 | 25.3015°N 56.3711°W | 2006 | |
| Fujairah | Fujairah F2 | 600000m2 | 25.3082°N 56.3727°W | 2007 |
Algeria is believed to have at least 15 desalination plants in operation.
The island of Aruba has a large (world's largest at the time of its inauguration) desalination plant, with a total installed capacity of 11.1e6usgal per day.[10]
See main article: Seawater desalination in Australia. The Millennium Drought (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. 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 went into operation in Port Augusta.[11] [12] [13]
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.
Completed in 2000, the Al Hidd Desalination Plant on Muharraq island employed a multistage flash process, and produces 272760m2 per day.[14] 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.[15]
Upon completion of the third construction phase, the Durrat Al Bahrain 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.[16] The Bahrain-based utility company, Energy Central Co contracted to design, build and operate the plant.[17]
In 1994–1995 the island of Barbados experienced a severe 1 in 50 year severe drought[18] that knocked much of the island's drinking water supply offline including the country's sole major hospital in the capital-city Bridgetown.[19] An agreement was negotiated with General Electric's Ionics Inc.[20] 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.[21]
China operates the Beijing Desalination Plant in Tianjin, 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 companies and inadequate local infrastructure.[27]
The Hong Kong Water Supplies Department had pilot desalination plants in Tuen Mun and Ap Lei Chau using reverse-osmosis technology. The production cost was put at HK$7.8 to HK$8.4 /m3.[28] [29] Hong Kong used to have a desalination plant in Lok On Pai, Siu Lam.[30]
In 2014, the government confirmed the reservation of a 10-hectare site at Tseung Kwan O 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.[31]
A plant operates in Cyprus near the town of Larnaca.[32] The Dhekelia Desalination Plant uses the reverse osmosis system.[33]
As of May 2022, Egypt had a total of 82 desalination plants with a combined capacity of 917,000 cubic meters per day.
Fresh water on the island of Helgoland is supplied by two reverse osmosis desalination plants.[35]
Fresh water in Gibraltar is supplied by a number of reverse osmosis and multistage flash desalination plants.[36] A demonstration forward osmosis desalination plant also operates there.[37]
India has two desalinization plants, the Minjur Seawater Desalination Plant[38] [39] and the Nemmeli plant, both in Chennai.[40] [41]
An assumption is that around 400,000 m3/d of historic and newly installed capacity is operational in Iran.[42] 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.[42]
Iranian project Persian Gulf Water Transfer WASCO will see the biggest Desalination project in the world based in Bandar Abas with 1.6 million capacity. There are three phases, phase 1 will be fully complete by 2024.[43] [44]
Israel Desalination Enterprises' Sorek Desalination Plant north of Palmachim 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).[45] 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.[46]
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.[47] As of May 29, 2015 more than 50 percent of the water for Israeli households, agriculture and industry is artificially produced.[48]
| - ! Location | Opened | Capacity (million m3/year) | Cost of water (per m3) | Notes | - | August 2005 | 120 | NIS 2.60 | (capacity as of 2010)[50] | - | May 2007 | 45 | NIS 2.90 | [51] | - | December 2009 | 127 | NIS 2.60 | [52] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sorek[53] [54] | 2013 | 228 | NIS 2.01–2.19 | [55] [56] | ||||||||||||||||||
| December 2015[57] | 100 | NIS 2.40 | (expansion up to 150 million m3/year possible)[58] |
Additional desalination plants supply the entire freshwater needs of the city of Eilat 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.[59]
MAEK-Kazatomprom LLP operates sea water desalination plant in Aktau, Mangystau from 1967. Now its power comes to 74,000 m3/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 m3/day
Kuwait 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.[60] 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.[61]
Ghar Lapsi II 50,000 m3/day[62]
Maldives is a nation of small islands. Some depend on desalination as a source of water.
The first desalination plant in Mexico was built in 1960 and had a capacity of 27,648 m3/day.[63]
As of 2006, there were 435 desalination plants in Mexico with a total capacity of 311,700 m3/day.[64]
One of the world's largest desalination plants (380,160 m3/day) is planned for Rosarito.[65]
There are multiple desalination projects ongoing in Morocco, mostly desalinating seawater from the Atlantic Ocean.
| Casablanca | 2030 | 250 | Between MAD2 and MAD6 per m3.[66] | |
| Agadir - Sous Massa | 2020 | 275 | World's largest desaliniation plant when completed | |
| Dakhla | 2018 | 30 | [67] | |
| Jorf Lasfar | 2021 | 40 | [68] |
Norway 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, only providing around 500 people with water.[69]
A pilot seawater greenhouse was built in 2004 near Muscat, in collaboration with Sultan Qaboos University, providing a sustainable horticultural sector on the Batinah coast.[70]
There are at least two forward osmosis plants operating in Oman
See main article: Gwadar Seawater Desalination Plant. 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. 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.[74]
The Saline Water Conversion Corporation of Saudi Arabia provides 50% of the municipal water in the Kingdom, operates a number of desalination plants, and has contracted $1.892 billion[76] 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;[77] one example at Shoaiba cost $1.06 billion and produces 450 million liters per day.[78]
Desalinated water is planned to meet 30% of Singapore's future water needs by 2060.[83]
Existing (25% of Singapore's 2017 water demand)
Lanzarote is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, which are of volcanic origin. It is the closest of the islands to the Sahara 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)[86] was formed.
A prototype seawater greenhouse was constructed in Tenerife in 1992.[87]
While mainland Sweden is able to depend on long rivers, many thousands of lakes and groundwater, the sunny and dry nature of the Baltic Sea archipelago has led to a deficit of water on the island of Gotland.[95] The island has two desalination plants for brackish water from the Baltic Sea, one built 2016 in Herrvik with a capacity to produce 480 m3/day,[96] and another one with a capacity of 7 500 m3/day in Kvarnåkershamn.[97]
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.[98]
The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago 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 28800000usgal of water a day at the price of $2.67 per 1000usgal.[99]
This plant will be located at Trinidad's Point Lisas 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.[100]
The UAE relies has over 70 desalination plants, and relies on desalination for 42% of its drinking water.[101] The hosts some of the world's largest desalination plants, which are listed in the table above.[102] The include the Jebel Ali desalination plant in Dubai, a dual-purpose facility, uses multistage flash distillation and is the largest in the world, capable of producing 2227600m2 of water per day. Al Taweelah RO is the world's largest reverse osmosis desalination plant, producing 909200m2 of water per day.[103]
Some of the smaller ones include:
The first large-scale plant in the United Kingdom, the Thames Water Desalination Plant, was built in Beckton, east London for Thames Water by Acciona Agua.[105] 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.
The desalination plant located near La Rosière, La Corbière, 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/m3.[106]
There are a dozen different desalination projects in the state of Texas, both for desalinating groundwater and desalinating seawater from the Gulf of Mexico. However, currently there are no seawater desalination plants earmarked for municipal purposes.[107] [108]
California has 17 desalination plants in the works, either partially constructed or through exploration and planning phases.[110] The list of locations includes Bay Point, in the Delta, Redwood City, seven in the Santa Cruz / Monterey Bay, Cambria, Oceaneo, Redondo Beach, Huntington Beach, Dana Point, Camp Pendleton, Oceanside and Carlsbad.[111]
In 1977, Cape Coral, 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.[117]
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.[118]
The Tampa Bay Water desalination project near Tampa, Florida, 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,[119] and is designed to run at a maximum capacity of 25e6USgal per day.[120] The plant can now produce up to 25e6USgal per day when needed.[121]