Core Insights - The report highlights the significant progress in seawater desalination projects in China, with a total of 158 projects and a capacity of 2.856 million tons per day in 2024, an increase of 333,000 tons per day from 2023 [1] - Coastal provinces are actively developing large-scale seawater desalination projects to ensure a reliable water supply for high-water-consuming industries such as power, petrochemicals, and steel [1][3] Seawater Utilization Overview - Seawater utilization encompasses desalination, direct use, and chemical resource extraction, with policies encouraging the development of seawater resources in coastal areas [2] - The State Council's regulations prioritize the use of desalinated seawater for new industrial projects in water-scarce coastal regions [2] Industrial Applications - The majority of desalinated seawater is used for industrial purposes, particularly in coastal regions, with some allocated for domestic use in island areas and water-scarce coastal cities [3] - Major projects like the Tianjin South Port Industrial Zone desalination project and others are set to provide essential water resources for industries such as petrochemicals and nuclear power [3][4] Technological Developments - The Tianjin South Port project is a key collaboration under the Belt and Road Initiative, featuring a capacity of 150,000 tons per day and utilizing domestically produced equipment [4] - The report indicates that by the end of 2024, 141 desalination projects will employ reverse osmosis technology, accounting for 68.25% of total capacity [5] Policy Support and Incentives - Various local governments have introduced incentive policies to promote seawater desalination projects, including financial subsidies based on fixed asset investments [6][7]

Core Insights - The Ministry of Natural Resources has released the "2024 National Seawater Utilization Report," highlighting significant developments in seawater desalination and cooling water usage in China [1] Desalination Developments - In 2024, there are 158 existing seawater desalination projects in China, with a total capacity of 2.856 million tons per day, an increase of 333,000 tons per day compared to 2023 [1] - Coastal provinces such as Tianjin, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang are actively advancing large-scale seawater desalination projects to ensure reliable water supply for high-water-consuming industries like power, petrochemicals, and steel [1] - Breakthroughs have been made in domestically developed seawater desalination equipment, with the fifth production line of the Tianjin Nangang Industrial Zone's integrated seawater desalination and comprehensive utilization project achieving full localization of key equipment such as reverse osmosis membranes, high-pressure pumps, and energy recovery devices [1] Cooling Water Usage - The total seawater cooling water usage in 2024 is projected to be 188.336 billion tons, an increase of 2.957 billion tons from 2023 [1] - Provinces including Liaoning, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong have annual seawater cooling water usage exceeding 10 billion tons [1] - Regions such as Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, and Fujian are actively developing and transforming technologies for seawater extraction of bromine and potassium, exploring efficient and diversified utilization of seawater resources to enhance resource efficiency [1]