Archive · 7 Jun 2025
New Deep-Sea Desalination Technology to Combat Water Scarcity
Imagine a new way to get clean water from the ocean.
Instead of building plants on land, these plants go deep underwater, where the water is cleaner and under a lot of pressure.
This helps make the water clean without using as much energy.
Several companies are building these underwater plants to provide freshwater.
These plants could help solve the problem of not enough clean water for everyone, but we still need to see how well they work and how much they cost to maintain.
It's like a cool new idea to help people get the water they need.
Deep-sea desalination technology promises to address global water scarcity.
The technology leverages ocean pressure and purer water at depths exceeding 400 meters.
Several companies, including Flocean, Waterise, and OceanWell, are developing this technology.
Pilot plants are operational, with the first large-scale deep-sea plant expected by 2026 in Norway.
Challenges include long-term performance, maintenance, and securing government contracts.
- Who
- Companies like Flocean, Waterise, and OceanWell are leading the development, with Tom Pankratz and Eric Hoek providing expert opinions.
- What
- New desalination technology utilizes deep-sea plants to convert seawater to drinking water.
- When
- The technology is being developed now, with the first large-scale plant planned to be operational in the second half of 2026.
- Where
- Pilot plants exist in Norway and California; future plants are planned for Norway and Jordan.
- Why
- To combat water scarcity, which affects half the world's population and is projected to worsen.
- People Affected by Water Scarcity
- Half the world
- Current Desalination Method
- Reverse osmosis
- Energy Savings (Deep-Sea Desalination)
- Up to 40%
- Companies Involved
- Flocean, Waterise, OceanWell
- Expected Launch of First Large-Scale Plant
- 2026
- Locations of Planned Plants
- Norway, Jordan