The southern Hormozgan Province off the Persian Gulf accounts for 50% of desalinated water produced in Iran, the head of the provincial Water and Wastewater Company said.
“Close to 41 desalination plants in the coastal region process around 230,000 cubic meters of seawater per day,” the Energy Ministry’s news portal also quoted Abdolhamid Hamzehpour as saying.
Despite the massive production, demand still outweighs supply, hence plans are underway to construct 11 more facilities with a total capacity of 34,000 cubic meters per day. The water company spends approximately $100 million annually on purchasing desalinated water from those plants, most of which are run by the private sector.
“Nonetheless, what subscribers are charged comprises a very small proportion of the huge cost [$100 million].”
There are 85 desalination units in Iran, of which 41 are in the coastal province.
Hormozgan has a population of 1.6 million, and 1.3 million are covered by the provincial water company. It is a dry province with low rainfall, suffering from a chronic water shortage.
To help address the water deficits where underground resources are drying up fast, producing water from saline water sources is unavoidable although the process produces large quantities of brine that is denser than seawater, sinks to the seabed and damages the marine ecosystem.
Villages in the area have been abandoned and expanding Bandar Abbas water desalination infrastructure can help curb migration and contribute to sustainable rural development in the dry regions.
Experts say the fledgling domestic desalination industry should be able to meet the potable water demand of Persian Gulf littoral provinces.
Sustainable Supplies
Tapping into the sea to produce clean water is high on the Energy Ministry’s agenda, as it is seen as more viable for maintaining sustainable supplies rather than depleting the fast-dwindling underground water tables, most of which are drying up.
Iran's annual water consumption is about 100 billion cubic meters, of which less than 200 million cubic meters are produced by desalination plants in coastal provinces, namely Khuzestan, Hormozgan and Bushehr.
Approximately 142 million cubic meters of seawater are desalinated daily around the globe. However, Iran's share is as little as 500,000 cubic meters per day.
Hamzehpour noted that dependence on rainwater and river runoff in drought-stricken regions can no longer meet mounting demand.
As the water situation worsens and economic pressures pile up, rural folks are abandoning villages and migrating in bigger numbers to cities.
That is why unconventional water resources, such as reclaimed and desalinated water, have emerged as effective solutions for the sustainable and long-term management of drinking water in parched regions like Hormozgan and Bushehr.
Referring to the sewage grid in the area, he noted that six cities, namely Banda Abbas, Roudan, Dargahan, Minab, Hormoz and Aboumousa have wastewater collection network and the grid will cover more small towns and villages in the southern province.
Nuclear Reactors
According to Misaq Molaei, an energy analyst, using nuclear reactors to operate seawater desalination plants can be cost-effective in areas straddling the southern coasts of Iran, as they meet most of their potable water demand from nearby provinces.
The cost of treating seawater using fossil fuels is about 75 cents for each cubic meter of water, while it stands at around 30 cents in nuclear desalination plants, he added.
Molaei noted that desalination units of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in the southern province have the capacity of desalinating 15,000 cubic meters of saline water per day.
The Bushehr plant is situated 17 km southeast of the city of Bushehr.
Iran has signed a $10 billion deal with Russia to build two new nuclear power plants in Bushehr.
“The desalination capacity, which meets 20% of Bushehr city’s water demand, can be boosted with the help of nuclear reactors,” he said.
“In addition to the high cost of processing seawater by fossil-fueled desalination plants, it damages the environment more than the nuclear plants, the output of which is more desirable both in terms of quality and quantity.”
Small- and medium-sized nuclear reactors are suitable for desalination, often with cogeneration of electricity using low-pressure steam from the turbine and hot seawater fed from the cooling system.
Several countries are using nuclear desalination plants, such as Middle East countries, India, Japan and Kazakhstan. The latter operated a 750-MW facility for over a quarter century, generating not only desalinated water, but processing heat and electricity as well.
Nuclear energy-powered water desalination is an effective and feasible technology.
