China increased its desalination plant capacity by about 16% last year, according to a government statement this month.
Following a programme of desalination plant construction in response to dwindling water resources, the country upped its capacity by 125,500 m³/d to about 900,800 m³/d, the government’s State Oceanic Administration said. Costs are about 5-8 yuan/m³ (US$ 0.81/m³) the administration said.
Most of the plants were in coastal cities and islands lacking water. The statement said desalinated water will mainly be supplied to industries in the north of the country and homes in the south, the administration said. China’s northern city of Tianjin, and Hebei and Shandong provinces, now have the most desalination capacity, according to the administration.