China issues 5-year action plan for seawater purification

China has issued an action plan for seawater purification utilisation development over the next five years, according to China Science Daily on Friday.

The action plan, jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Ministry of Natural Resources, was expected to promote the large-scale utilisation of seawater purification and ensure the safety of water resources in coastal areas.

China’s seawater purification scale would exceed 2.9 million tonnes per day by 2025, an increase of more than 1.25 million tonnes per day, according to the action plan.

Seawater purification in coastal cities would increase by more than 1.05 million tonnes per day by 2025, while the island areas will see an increase of more than 200,000 tonnes per day.

The action plan also called for improving water supply security for seawater purification, expanding the scale of seawater desalination in industrial zones, enhancing the water supply capacity for islands and ships, and exploring the application of desalination technology.

China has constructed 123 seawater desalination projects with a purification capacity exceeding 1.6 million cubic meters per day, according to the NDRC.

The action plan called for strengthening technology development for seawater purification, ensuring the safety of industrial and supply chains, and enhancing service capacity.