(MENAFN- GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) The China water desalination market is projected to surge from US$ 1.84 billion in 2024 to US$ 4.66 billion by 2033, at a CAGR of 10.88%. Key growth drivers include freshwater scarcity, industrialization, and government support for desalination infrastructure. Advanced reverse osmosis and distillation technologies are augmenting capacity, catering to residential, commercial, and industrial needs. Coastal provinces are strategic desalination hubs, ensuring urban and industrial water supply. Despite high operating costs and environmental challenges, technological innovations foster market expansion. Major players such as SUEZ, Veolia, and Acciona SA are pivotal in shaping the sector's future.Dublin, Sept. 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "China Water Desalination Market Report by Technology, Application, Water Source, Cities and Company Analysis 2025-2033" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets's offering.
China Water Desalination Market is expected to reach US$ 4.66 billion in 2033, up from US$ 1.84 billion in 2024, at a CAGR of 10.88% during 2025-2033. Freshwater shortage, industrialization, and the government's initiative to increase desalination plants are driving growth. Sophisticated reverse osmosis and distillation technologies are expanding capacities to supply water.
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In China, water desalination popularity is growing rapidly with increased water shortage in northern parts of the country, industrial water demand, and government efforts towards water sustainability. Large desalination plants along China's southeastern coast are enabling urban cities and industrial bases to obtain stable water supplies, putting the nation at the center of the international desalination industry.
Growth Drivers in the China Water Desalination Market
Increasing Freshwater Shortage
China is facing a desperate crisis of freshwater shortage, an issue especially severe in its northern provinces. There, the insistent rhythm of urbanization and industrialization places immense stress upon already overstretched natural resources. It is compounded by scarce rainfall and a baffling imbalance in water distribution, where some regions face desperate shortages while others are relatively better supplied. To this growing crisis, there has been a wide spread of serious investments which aim to construct sophisticated desalination plants.
These plants mark a strategic transition where cities and industries seriously look for reliable alternative water sources to maintain their expansion and cope with the needs of their fast-growing populations. This pressing search for solutions is fast changing the scenery, driving a large market demand for massive desalination schemes promising to relieve pressures of freshwater shortages and secure a more water-secure future for the region. By 2050, more than 3,000 sub-basins are likely to be threatened by both quality and quantity of water risks. This scenario would affect another 40 million square kilometers of basin area and influence nearly 3 billion more individuals who would have difficulty accessing clean water. China will probably be among the areas most impacted by this situation.
Government Initiatives and Investments
The government of China is aggressively promoting the development of water desalination, supported by a package of accommodative policies, open-ended subsidies, and its strategic placement in the overall scheme of national water security. Major projects have been initiated in coastal provinces such as Tianjin and Shandong, strategically located to amplify the country's overall desalination capacity.
This strong policy action not only demonstrates the government's dedication to water scarcity mitigation but also acts as an accelerator of sustainable market development in the desalination industry, guaranteeing a secure and expansive future for water supplies. The 2021 written national action plan proposed to boost the desalination capacity to 3.5 million cubic meters per day by 2025 and to encourage the application of desalinated seawater in municipal water supplies. The national government, as part of the 14th Five-Year-Plan, has a vision to be the world's leader in sustainable water solutions. The most recent projects fit into both plans, both in terms of scale and innovation.
Technological Innovations in Desalination
Combining energy-efficient reverse osmosis (RO) and hybrid desalination technologies is greatly improving cost-effectiveness in the water treatment industry. These innovative technologies not only reduce operating costs but also increase overall efficiency in desalination plants. Optimizing performance, they improve viability and attractiveness of large-scale projects, thus driving market growth in China. As these new technologies become ingrained, they open doors to a more sustainable and economically viable future for water resource management.
March 2025, ACWA Power, the world's largest private water desalination business and energy transition leader, has inaugurated its first overseas Innovation Centre in Pudong New Area, Shanghai. The centre, in which RMB 20 million (USD 2.8 million) has been invested, will be dedicated to photovoltaics, wind, energy storage, green hydrogen, and seawater desalination and features an R&D Centre as well as a Green Energy Laboratory. It has been awarded the 'Group Open Innovation (GOI)' by the Pudong New Area Government.
Issues in the China Water Desalination Market
High Operating and Energy Costs
In spite of the incredible advancements in technology, the process of desalination remains to be defined by its high energy requirements and corresponding costs. The energy needs of large-scale desalination plants can increase operational costs and result in a heavy financial burden. Such an economic hurdle tends to limit the use of such technologies, particularly in inland areas and smaller municipalities that do not have the resources to sustain these energy-intensive operations.
Environmental Concerns
Desalination operations, although vital to meet water shortage demands, generate heavy brine waste, which poses serious threats to marine life if not disposed of sensibly. The dilemma of disposing of the concentrated saltwater in an environmentally responsible manner is further complicated by tightening environmental legislation. In China, such legislative frameworks combined with the acute need for sustainable brine disposal solutions pose significant challenges for the establishment and operation of desalination facilities. Balancing the need for clean water with the conservation of sensitive marine ecosystems is a constant battle that needs innovative solutions and close monitoring.
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