Seawater and Brackish Water Desalination

Report Highlights

The global cumulative investments in desalination plants reached roughly $21.4 billion in 2015 and should reach nearly $48.2 billion by 2020, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.6%.

Report Includes

• An overview of the global market for seawater and brackish water desalination
• Analyses of global market trends, with data from 2014, estimates for 2015, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2020
• Descriptions of various desalination methods, including multistage flash distillation, multi-effect distillation, vapor compression, reverse osmosis, and nanofiltration
• Discussion of novel desalination methods, including freezing, gas hydrate formation, membrane distillation, and capacitive deionization
• Examination of the seawater and brackish water desalination plants industry on a worldwide basis, both from a market and application perspective
• Profiles of major and minor companies working on or in conjunction with desalination plants.

Report Scope

Desalination plants range from the very small to large industrial or municipal facilities. This report assesses the market for the larger facilities—those with a daily capacity of 1,000 or more cubic meters of produced water. The study discusses the global water resource status and the growing gap between freshwater resources and water demand from all sectors. Within this global context, the specific growth drivers for and the challenges to the evolution of the desalination equipment market are presented.

A technical overview of the primary desalination technologies is provided, as well as an overview of novel distillation methods.  The report presents the hypothetical unit cost of water as produced by the primary technologies as well as the sensitivity of that cost to variations in economic parameters.

Forecasts of annual and cumulative capital investments in desalination plants likely to begin operation during the forecast period of 2015 to 2020 are given. These forecasts include global investments by technology and by region, as well as regional forecasts by technology. Outlooks are provided for important countries within each of the regions examined in the report: North America; Latin America and the Caribbean; Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa; Asia and Oceania; and Africa/Rest of World. The outlook sections include information on key projects.

The desalination industry structure, key players, and their market shares are also discussed. Seventy-seven companies are profiled. In addition, a survey of relevant patents for 2013, 2014 and 2015 (through October 2015) is provided.

Analyst Credentials

The author of this report, Gerry Runte, holds B.S. and M.Eng. degrees in mathematics, chemistry, and nuclear engineering. He has more than 30 years of experience in leadership, strategy development, and corporate planning. Currently, he heads Worthington Sawtelle LLC, a consulting and market research firm that provides a full portfolio of business planning and strategy services to both new and existing participants in emerging markets.