China launches desalination plan to bolster water security in coastal regions

(ECNS) - China has issued a national action plan to speed up development of its seawater desalination industry, setting a target of more than 4.5 million tonnes of desalination capacity per day by 2030, the country's top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said.

Jointly released by the NDRC, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Water Resources, the plan calls for adding at least 1.5 million tonnes of new daily capacity over the next several years.

Authorities said desalination would help diversify water supplies and ease shortages in coastal cities and island regions.

The plan sets out seven priority areas: strengthening urban water security, expanding supplies for islands and ships, increasing industrial use of desalinated water, advancing technological innovation, improving supply-chain coordination, promoting low-carbon development and deepening international cooperation.

Future efforts will focus on broadening how desalinated water is used and tightening technology and industry standards, the agencies said, as China works to raise desalinated water use and shore up long-term water security.

(By Zhang Jiahao)