Veolia has released a press release announcing it is poised to expand its operated capacity by 2030. With its technologies currently making up 18% of the world’s installed desalination capacity, Veolia dominates the market.
Over the past 25 years, desalination has made significant strides in efficiency and environmental impact, becoming a critical tool to combat water scarcity. Technological advancements have made desalination more cost-effective by reducing energy consumption, while also improving its scalability to meet growing global demand in terms of volume, size, and efficiency.
The desalination market is expected to experience accelerated growth over the next five years, particularly in the Middle East, Pacific Asia, and certain European countries. Planned projects are expected to account for around 40 million m³ per day. Already a key player, Veolia is set to solidify its market leadership and plans to double its operated capacity, which currently stands at 1.4 million m³ per day, by 2030.
Recent global contract wins further emphasize Veolia’s strong position in the desalination market. These include the Mirfa 2 & Hassyan desalination plants in the United Arab Emirates, the Cornwall desalination plant in the United Kingdom, and exclusive discussions for the Rabat desalination plant in Morocco.
Veolia has been a leader in sustainable desalination for over 50 years, pioneering major innovations in the industry:
- Energy consumption has been reduced by almost 7 times since 1970.
- The development of increasingly compact and efficient units, utilizing technologies such as Barrel™ and intelligent reverse osmosis processes that incorporate AI.
- Efforts to minimize the environmental footprint, including reducing chemical usage and incorporating renewable, decarbonized power.
- Commitment to preserving marine environments, particularly in brine management.
The company continues to innovate in desalination and other water technologies, such as micropollutant treatment and wastewater management, addressing multiple water-related challenges simultaneously.
"Our global leadership and ambitions in desalination, in line with our strategic GreenUp program, demonstrate our capability to develop increasingly innovative and adaptable technological solutions to meet the needs and challenges of cities and i dustries. It is our unique positioning and through our winning formula that combines expertise, performance and environmental responsibility that allows us to have even greater ambitions today to implement effective and more affordable solutions while preserving both this vital resource and local ecosystems", says Estelle Brachlianoff, CEO of Veolia.
Veolia’s role in the desalination market
- Veolia is the world leader in desalination with a constructed treatment capacity of approximately 13 million m³ of water per day across more than 2,300 sites in 108 countries.
- By 2030, Veolia aims to maintain its market share in installed desalination capacity and double its operation and maintenance capacity.
- Key global projects include:
- Morocco: Rabat desalination plant (MoU 2024)
- United Arab Emirates: Hassyan desalination plant (new contract 2024)
- United Kingdom: Cornwall desalination plant (new contract 2023)
- United Arab Emirates: Mirfa 2 desalination plant (new contract 2023)
- Australia: Sydney desalination plant
- Oman: Sur desalination plant
- Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Sadara-Marafiq industrial desalination plant
