Core Insights - The 2024 National Sea Water Utilization Report indicates a significant increase in seawater desalination projects and capacity across China, with a total of 158 projects and a capacity of 2.856 million tons per day, an increase of 333,000 tons per day from 2023 [1] Group 1: Desalination Projects - In 2024, there are 61 large-scale seawater desalination projects with a capacity of 2.63 million tons per day, 48 medium-scale projects with a capacity of 200,000 tons per day, and 49 small-scale projects with a capacity of 14,000 tons per day [1] - Major coastal provinces such as Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, and Zhejiang have significant desalination capacities, with Tianjin at 450,000 tons per day and Shandong at 860,000 tons per day [1] Group 2: Industrial Water Use - Seawater desalination primarily serves industrial water needs, especially in high-water-consumption industries like power generation, petrochemicals, and steel, with some use for domestic water in coastal cities and islands [2] - Large-scale projects like the Tianjin South Port Industrial Zone and the Yantai Longkou Yulong Island desalination project are set to provide crucial water resources for industrial development [2] Group 3: Cooling Water and Chemical Resource Utilization - In 2024, seawater cooling water usage is projected to reach 188.336 billion tons, an increase of 2.957 billion tons from 2023, with significant usage in coastal thermal and nuclear power plants [3] - The report highlights ongoing research and development in seawater resource utilization, including bromine and potassium extraction technologies, particularly in provinces like Tianjin and Shandong [3]

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]

Core Viewpoint - The article highlights the significant policy support for China's marine economy, which is expected to enter a new phase of growth, emphasizing innovation, high-quality development, and collaboration across various coastal provinces [1][2]. Group 1: Policy and Development Plans - The Central Financial Committee's recent meeting focused on advancing the marine economy's high-quality development, stressing innovation, efficient collaboration, and industry upgrades [1]. - Shanghai's marine industry development plan (2025-2035) aims to establish a marine industry development fund and create a world-class shipbuilding and marine engineering equipment cluster [1][9]. - Coastal provinces like Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Fujian, and Shandong are actively promoting policies and legislative measures to enhance marine economic development [1]. Group 2: Economic Performance and Projections - The marine production value in China surpassed 10 trillion yuan in 2024, reaching 10,543.8 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 5.9%, outpacing the national GDP growth by 0.9 percentage points [4]. - The marine economy is projected to become a new engine for national economic growth, with significant potential for job creation and value addition by 2030 [3][2]. Group 3: Industry Structure and Trends - China's marine economy is characterized by a high proportion of traditional industries, with marine fisheries, coastal tourism, and marine transportation accounting for nearly 90% of the marine economy [5]. - Emerging marine industries, such as marine biomedicine and marine engineering equipment, currently represent less than 10% of the total, indicating a need for deep transformation and upgrading [5][6]. - The marine new industries' added value grew by 7.2% year-on-year, with marine manufacturing contributing over 30% to the marine production value [5]. Group 4: Regional Developments - Shanghai's marine production value reached 1,138.7 billion yuan in 2024, growing by 11.2% and accounting for 21.1% of the city's total production value [8]. - Zhejiang aims for over 220 billion yuan in marine economic project investments this year, with marine fisheries expected to exceed 100 billion yuan in output [9][10]. - Shandong is focusing on reform and innovation to enhance its marine economy, exploring new management models for marine resources and developing marine financial products [11].