Chinese Power Plants Becoming Increasingly Compelled to Adopt Water Reuse and Recycling Treatment Solutions
Shrinking freshwater levels has lead to Chinese Power Plants Becoming Increasingly Compelled to Adopt Water Reuse and Recycling Treatment Solutions and reduce water consumption, thereby leading to the strong growth of the country’s water and wastewater management market. Eastern China has so far been the focal point for investments in treatment technology, the growth of the power industry in Central and Southwest China looks set to shift market opportunities to those regions.
Total Chinese Water and Wastewater Management Market in Power Industry, finds that the market earned revenues of more than $758.0 million in 2012 and estimates this to reach $912.6 million in 2018.
The steady development of China’s coal-fuelled power plants, which require large volumes of water for various processes, along with the expansion of power plants’ installation capacity, is driving demand for efficient water reuse & recycling technologies in the short and medium term. The growth of thermal power plants is placing heightened emphasis on water recycling and creates an addressable market for water and wastewater treatment in the country.
As a result, wastewater treatment equipment suppliers are looking for opportunities in other power sectors such as nuclear power. In fact, China’s renewal of its nuclear power development plan, which aims to increase nuclear power capacity to more than 40,000 megawatt (MW) by 2015 and 70,000-80,000 MW by 2020, will boost the adoption of, for instance, desalination technology, as most nuclear power plants are built in coastal areas.
Supplying these technologies through contract models, where several water-intensive plants can use a standalone water-management system within an industrial park, will become a market trend. Power plants will also establish framework agreements with large municipalities for the purchase of treated wastewater in the future.
Qualified integrated water and wastewater solution providers offering engineering and support services will encourage plant owners to optimise their water and wastewater treatment units. Integrated solutions and services will also enable the online monitoring of water intake, transportation, treatment and reclamation.
Frieso Pouwer
Now being a small dealer in water treatment myself I understand the importance in providing to customers the products they need or want, but I would have to say that much of the water consumption required is because of the choice of energy production that China has made. Water hungry power plants based in nuclear and coal by design leave one heck of a footprint on the environment. They would do much better in developing less invasive energy production methods, like hydro, wind, and solar. The the physical footprint is much larger, they pose less of a risk on water consumption which would also lessen the need for water reuse advancements. Yes a hit in my pocket, but we are busy enough treating water for people to drink, trust me.