South Korea has launched a national public-private coalition aimed at strengthening its seawater desalination industry and expanding overseas projects, as governments worldwide seek new solutions to worsening water scarcity driven by climate change.
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said it would bring together government agencies, research institutions and leading industrial players to coordinate technology development and global market expansion.
Participants include the Korea Water Resources Corporation and the Korea Water Industry Association, along with major engineering and equipment firms such as Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Doosan Enerbility, GS Engineering & Construction, Synopex and Hyosung Goodsprings. About 30 members from industry, academia and research institutes are expected to take part.
The move reflects growing concerns about water security as climate change intensifies droughts and disrupts freshwater supplies in many parts of the world. Desalination – the process of removing salt from seawater – has become an increasingly important technology for countries facing chronic water shortages, particularly in the Middle East and parts of Asia.
South Korea’s desalination industry has historically struggled with high production costs and a limited domestic market. However, the global market has been shifting away from energy-intensive thermal evaporation methods toward reverse osmosis (RO) systems, which use membranes to filter salt from seawater at far lower energy consumption.
According to industry data cited by the ministry, reverse osmosis accounted for 87.3 per cent of the global desalination market in 2024, up sharply from 58.6 per cent in 2006. The method typically consumes about a quarter of the energy required by traditional evaporation techniques.
South Korea is also preparing a large-scale domestic project intended to help local firms build operational experience that can support overseas bids. The Daesan coastal desalination plant, capable of producing 100,000 tonnes of freshwater per day, is expected to begin full-scale operation this year and will become the largest such facility in the country.
The ministry said the project’s operating track record will help South Korean companies compete in international tenders for desalination plants.
The new council will be divided into three working groups focusing on technology development, overseas market expansion and regulatory reforms.
The technology group will explore cost reductions through artificial intelligence-based process optimisation and integration with renewable energy systems.
Another group will examine new business models, including linking desalination plants with power generation facilities and expanding exports of locally produced components and equipment.
A third group will review regulatory frameworks and policies aimed at accelerating industry growth and promoting localisation of key technologies.
The council plans to produce a national roadmap for the desalination sector by the end of the year.
“Seawater desalination is both a critical tool for strengthening water security in the era of climate crisis and a rapidly growing global industry,” said Kim Ji-young, director-general for water utilisation policy at the ministry. “The government will work closely with industry to help Korean companies take a leading role in the global desalination market.”
The global desalination market was valued at about US$21.7 billion in 2024 and is projected to exceed US$58 billion by 2033, growing at more than 11 per cent annually, according to market research estimates.
Demand is particularly strong in arid regions such as the Middle East and North Africa, which together account for the largest share of desalination capacity worldwide. Gulf countries rely heavily on desalinated water to sustain cities and industry, with some states producing the vast majority of their drinking water from seawater treatment plants.
Globally, desalination capacity has expanded steadily for more than a decade, growing by roughly 7 per cent per year since 2010, with thousands of plants now operating around the world.
Technological advances are also reshaping the sector. RO systems dominate new projects because of their significantly lower energy consumption and operating costs. The RO segment alone is expected to grow at more than 10 per cent annually through the early 2030s, according to industry forecasts.
In addition to the Middle East, new desalination investments are emerging in regions facing prolonged drought or groundwater depletion, including parts of North America, Australia and South Asia, where governments are exploring large-scale plants powered partly by renewable energy to reduce costs and emissions.
