Desalination to grow by 9% up to 2016, says report

Global installed desalination capacity is expected to grow by about 55 million m³/d over the period 2010-2016 at a compound annual growth rate of more than 9%, according to a new report from Pike Research.

The report, Desalination Technology Markets, forecasts that this will represent a cumulative market value of US$ 87.8 billion during the period from 2010 to 2016. The Middle East North Africa region accounts for 54% of the growth in terms of capacity, while, Saudi Arabia and UAE combined will comprise about 14 million m³/d of desalination capacity over the same period.

Looking back, the report notes that the top five desalination suppliers (Veolia, Doosan, Fisia Italimpianti, Suez Environnement and GE), captured a mere 25% of the market from 2007 to 2009. By contrast, more than 65% of the market for RO membranes is controlled by three players: Dow, Nitto Denko and Toray.