Government to Ramp Up Support for Seawater Desalination Industry... Launches Academia-Industry Council

The government is set to ramp up discussions on fostering the seawater desalination industry, aiming to address water shortages in the era of climate crisis and simultaneously facilitate the overseas expansion of the water industry.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced on March 11 that it will launch the “Seawater Desalination Advancement Council” and hold its first meeting at Seoul Square in Jung-gu, Seoul on March 12. The council has been established to strengthen the competitiveness of Korea’s seawater desalination industry and to formulate strategies for entering the global market.

Currently, the domestic seawater desalination industry faces structural challenges, including high production costs and a limited domestic market, necessitating the revitalization of the industry ecosystem. The government plans to use the council as a platform to comprehensively discuss technology development, regulatory improvements, and overseas expansion strategies in order to lay the groundwork for the industry’s growth.

The council will include public institutions such as the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, Korea Water Resources Corporation, and Korea Water Partnership, as well as companies specializing in seawater desalination, including Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Doosan Enerbility, GS Engineering & Construction, Synopex, and Hyosung Goodsprings. Including experts from academia and research fields, approximately 30 members have been appointed to the council.

Globally, the seawater desalination market has shifted over the past 20 years from evaporation-based methods to reverse osmosis, which consumes less energy. Evaporation methods require 7–25 kWh per cubic meter (meaning 7–25 kWh of electricity to produce 1,000 liters of water), while reverse osmosis requires only 3–4 kWh per cubic meter. In practice, the share of reverse osmosis in seawater desalination facilities has jumped from 58.6% in 2006 to 87.3% in 2024.

The overseas business environment is also evolving, moving beyond simple construction to encompass financing, facility operation, and management, thus increasing the need for new market entry strategies.

Greenish water is filling the Doam Dam in Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon Province. Yonhap News

Domestic conditions are also changing. Starting this year, the “Daesan Coastal Seawater Desalination Facility,” the largest of its kind in Korea, will begin full-scale operation. This facility is capable of producing 100,000 tons of fresh water per day, and the government expects that the accumulated operational experience and track record will serve as a foundation for Korean companies to enter the global market.

During the first meeting, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment will share its vision for the seawater desalination industry, while the Korea Water Resources Corporation will outline the council’s operational direction. The Korea Water Partnership will present strategies for advancing the water industry through the expansion of desalination technologies, followed by an exchange of opinions among council members.

Going forward, the council will operate through three subdivisions: technology development, overseas expansion, and legal and regulatory improvements. The technology development subdivision will review cost reduction technologies such as integrating renewable energy and optimizing processes using artificial intelligence. The overseas expansion subdivision will develop strategies to increase exports of domestically produced materials, components, and equipment, as well as strategies for joint entry by companies.

The legal and regulatory improvement subdivision will discuss measures such as introducing rapid deployment installation models and revising regulations to stimulate the industry. Based on discussions in each subdivision, the council plans to announce a “roadmap for nurturing the seawater desalination industry” by the end of this year.

Kim Jiyeong, Director of Water Use Policy at the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, stated, “Seawater desalination is a future industry that not only reinforces water security in the era of climate crisis, but is also experiencing rapid global growth. The government will actively support our companies to lead the global desalination market.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.