China's desalination tech makes strides topping 3 million tonnes daily

China's daily seawater desalination capacity has surpassed 3 million tonnes, enough to meet the residential water needs of 15 million people, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR).

New desalination projects are advancing nationwide, with a focus on water security in coastal areas. 

In Cangzhou, north China's Hebei Province, an integrated project combining photovoltaic power generation, energy storage and seawater desalination is under construction. The first phase is expected to produce 50,000 tonnes of freshwater daily, with 60% of major construction completed.

It will help address Cangzhou's water scarcity, an acute challenge despite its coastal location. It will also promote the use of concentrated brine resources and improve regional water allocation.

At the same time, China is making strides in homegrown desalination technologies.

A 150,000-tonne-per-day desalination project in Tianjin's Nangang Industrial Zone features a fully domestic production line capable of producing 30,000 tonnes of desalinated water daily. The project has broken foreign technology monopolies, marking the first application of an independently developed 10,000-tonne-level energy recovery system.

Coastal provinces Shandong and Zhejiang and Hainan Island have expanded desalination infrastructure, enabling more than 30 remote islands to achieve full water supply coverage, and ending dependence on water shipments.

Beyond residential needs, desalination has also empowered major industrial projects in coastal areas.

On Yushan Island in east China's Zhejiang Province lies the world's largest petrochemical-supporting seawater desalination complex. Using domestically developed dual-desalination technology, the facilities supply over 515,000 tonnes of freshwater per day, more than140 million tonnes annually, with water quality meeting high-end industrial standards.

Guo Ai, manager of the water supply department at the green petrochemical base, said seawater desalination is core for the project. "Without seawater desalination, there would be no efficient and stable operation of the petrochemical base."

As China enters its 15th Five-Year Plan period, the desalination industry is moving toward high quality, green development and international engagement, strengthening water security and driving sustainable water use.

The sector has evolved from meeting domestic demand to exporting technologies and equipment overseas, realizing a stride from domestic innovation to international development, said Xiang Wenxi, director of the MNR's Institute of Seawater Desalination and Multipurpose Utilization (Tianjin).

Not only has it solved China's own water shortage problem, but it has also provided mature and feasible solutions for water-deficient countries and regions around the world, becoming a showcase of China's advanced manufacturing capabilities going global, said Xiang.