China's first seawater desalination project utilizing thermal drainage from power plants puts into operation in Yantai, East China's Shandong Province on April 28, 2025. (Photo/screenshot from China Media Group)
China's first seawater desalination project using thermal drainage from power plants was put into operation in Yantai, East China's Shandong Province on Monday. Upon completion, the project will provide 108 million tons of freshwater annually, easing local freshwater scarcity, China Media Group (CMG) reported.
The Shandong Yantai Penglai seawater desalination cooperation project, jointly funded by China and France, has a total investment of 1.8 billion yuan ($246.9 million). It is being built in three phases, with each targeting a daily production capacity of 100,000 tons of desalinated water, according to the report.
The seawater desalinated is recycled cooling water from nearby power plants, which has a year-round water temperature of between 8 C and 38 C, also known as warm drainage water. By fully utilizing the residual heat, the project significantly reduces heating costs and mitigates the high energy consumption issues associated with conventional seawater desalination in winter.
The commissioned phase I has achieved fully unmanned operation across the entire plant and all processes. Once phase III is completed, it will provide 108 million tons of freshwater annually, effectively alleviating local freshwater shortages and enhancing regional water security, according to the CMG.
Zhang Qiufeng, an official with a Tianjin-based research institute on seawater desalination and comprehensive utilization under the Ministry of Natural Resources, said that 600,000 tons of projects are currently under construction nationwid. By the end of this year, the production capacity is expected to exceed 3 million tons , which will surpass the target of 2.9 million tons per day of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), per the report.
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