China’s Ministry of Natural Resources has released the 2025 National Seawater Utilization Report, showing 167 desalination projects nationwide with a total capacity of 3.077 million m³/day by the end of 2025, an increase of 221,000 m³/day from the previous year. Seawater desalination is moving beyond backup supply and gaining strategic importance in industrial and residential use. The 15th Five-Year Plan outlines efforts to boost the emerging marine industry.
On Humudao Island in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, a seawater desalination project built by HDEC, a subsidiary of PowerChina, began stable supply in October 2025, producing 10,000 m³ of fresh water daily around the clock. The island, which previously lacked natural freshwater and had to ration rainfall, has now overcome its water scarcity. Shipyards and other industries have secured stable water supplies, while households report clean, scale-free tap water. The Zhoushan Water Supply Company noted that desalination has become the backbone of island water security, no longer a last resort. The company plans to replicate the model on other water-scarce islands in the area, connecting them through submarine pipelines to improve resilience.
In the Nangang Industrial Zone of Tianjin, Xianda Seawater Resources Development supplies desalinated water on a “supply-next-door” basis to high-water-consuming industrial plants like Huadian Nangang Thermal Power. After switching to desalinated water, the plant’s deionized water yield increased by over 15%, while water consumption and waste discharge dropped sharply, saving about 10 million yuan annually in production costs. With technical support from the Institute of Seawater Desalination and Multipurpose Utilization, the Nangang zone has become a chemical park primarily reliant on desalinated water, with prices matching municipal supply. The first phase of 150,000 m³/day is stable, and the company plans to double the capacity to 300,000 m³/day in a second phase. The institute also announced a breakthrough in potassium extraction from brine, with pilot tests underway in Qingdao, Shandong, paving the way for industrialization.
Chinese desalination technology and equipment are increasingly going global. Vontron Technology’s seawater reverse osmosis membranes are operating in a 65,000 m³/day unit of a 130,000 m³/day desalination plant in Matrouh, Egypt, effectively alleviating local water shortages. In 2025, the company exported over 30,000 membrane elements to Belt and Road countries, corresponding to a daily desalination capacity of over 300,000 m³. The company produces more than 200 membrane specifications and exports to over 130 countries and regions, using overseas projects to validate its products and break the dominance of foreign brands in the domestic high-end market. The Ministry of Natural Resources says the growing overseas presence of desalination firms reflects the reliability of China’s advanced membrane materials and equipment, which will boost the high-quality development of the marine economy.