Top 10 Desalination Technologies Companies Revolutionizing Water Supply

Desalination (or desalting) is the removal of salts from water to create freshwater that is suitable for human consumption or agricultural and industrial output. As the oceans hold onto 97.5% of Earth’s water, desalination can virtually supply water without limit. The process uses reverse osmosis, where pressurized membranes separate the water from salts for local water quality needs.

Population growth, agricultural and industrial development, pollution, reduced river flows, climate-change caused droughts, and several other factors are placing increasing stress on the customary sources of freshwater, such as rivers, lakes, and aquifers. In arid, semi-arid, and island regions with limited surface fresh water, desalination is becoming a larger part of the water supply. Countries that produce significant volumes of desalinated water include Saudi Arabia, which relies heavily on desalination to meet domestic water demand. It provides more than half of the domestic water in Israel. Outside the Middle East, the U.S., particularly California and Florida, also utilizes this technology to supplement water supplies, especially in drought-prone regions.

Types of Desalination Technologies

Desalination technologies are broadly classified into thermal and membrane processes. These thermal processes work by evaporating seawater and condensing the vapor into freshwater, leaving the salts behind. Other thermal processes include Multi-stage Flash (MSF) and Multi-Effect Distillation (MED). The former uses multiple sets of lower pressure heat exchangers, and is more common in the Middle East. MED uses a series of vessels, each operating at lower pressures, to boil the water with less energy than MSF. However, they are also intensive and have high-operating and maintenance costs.

Advancements and the Future of Desalination

Emerging technologies in desalination include forward osmosis with lower energy requirements, solar desalination to serve remote locations, graphene-based membranes which can quickly permeate water while rejecting salt, and hybrid desalination systems that combine reverse osmosis with thermal desalination for both high-quality products and energy efficiency, though most are still in development. Hybrid desalination systems enhance performance by combining membrane processes such as RO with thermal technologies such as multi-effect distillation. This integration improves overall water recovery rates by optimizing energy use by utilizing waste heat or shared infrastructure. It also produces high-quality freshwater and reduces operational limitations associated with a single technology. As a result, they offer better efficiency, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness for large-scale desalination projects. Other R&D projects are investigating coupling desalination technologies with wastewater treatment and zero liquid discharge systems to promote recycling of water in a circular economy framework.

Desalination Technologies in India: A Rising Priority

As population and water stress increase, India is increasingly adopting desalination as a source of fresh water. Chennai, for example, has plants that use reverse osmosis with additional plants planned for Mumbai and Gujarat. In order to expand these projects, substantial funding and a strong policy push are required, and also a partnership with reliable suppliers of energy and environmentally friendly RO plants. Therefore, several new RO plants are being designed with a zero liquid discharge capability.

Market Scenario

Governments in the Middle East and globally also provide support for sustainable desalination production via policies, public-private partnerships, and development financial institutions or multilateral development banks. In March 2023, The EBRD and IFC signed an advisory deal to support Egypt’s public-private partnership (PPP) desalination projects to develop sustainable new and unconventional water resources. Energy-efficient and low-carbon desalination technologies advance due to global carbonization targets. Fossil fuel-reliant countries from the Middle East are investing in advanced technologies, such as renewable-powered reverse osmosis.  

As per the report by Fortune Business Insights™, the market for desalination technologies stood at USD 27.8 billion in 2025 to USD 59.34 billion by 2034, exhibiting a CAGR of 8.85% during 2026-2034. 

Fortune Business Insights™ Profiles Top 10 Companies in Desalination Technologies Market 

1. Veolia Water Technologies

Veolia Water Technologies, a subsidiary of Veolia Group, provides a full range of services and technologies for water management, ranging from industrial process water to wastewater treatment and reuse.  In June 2025, the company won a contract from Seatrium for seawater desalination solutions.

2. Suez Group

Suez Group is a global provider of water, wastewater, and process treatment solutions, providing a diverse range of equipment services for a variety of desalination technologies companies, such as pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and chemical processing. In May 2025, the firm launched the construction of Taiwan's first large-scale municipal reverse osmosis desalination plant in Hsichu, with an aim to provide a stable water supply to the residents and industries.

3. Aquatech

Aquatech provides solutions for desalination, water reuse, zero liquid discharge, and critical minerals processing, helping firms achieve sustainability goals and address water scarcity. In June 2025, Aquatech partnered with Corpus Christi's Inner Harbor Water Treatment Campus to supply 30 million gallons (113 million liters) of potable water per day in order to guarantee a long-term, drought-resilient water supply for the Coastal Bend region.

4. DuPont

DuPont Water Solutions is recognized for its ion exchange and membrane science solutions that tackle water scarcity. In January 2023, DuPont announced that its FilmTec membranes and Inge ultrafiltration membranes were installed in a SWRO desalination plant for industrial use in India.

5. Acciona

The company’s desalination technology covers all aspects of the construction, design, and operation of plants utilizing advanced RO to address water scarcity while emphasizing sustainability and efficiency. In May 2025, a consortium led by Afriquia Gaz (5%), Green of Africa (45%), and Acciona (50%) finalized financing for the Casablanca desalination plant in Morocco to power the reverse osmosis power.

6. IDE Technologies

IDE, a global leader in the water industry, offers some of the most high-level thermal and membrane desalination plants internationally, including India, the U.S., Australia, and Israel. The firm offers small to large cost-effective desalination solutions on customers' terms. In June 2023, the company received the NTP from Techint E&C of the SADDN seawater desalination plant in Northern Chile to decrease inland water intake by 60% by 2020.

7. GS Inima

GS Inima, a global water management and desalination company, provides sustainable solutions to stakeholders worldwide, specializing in RO technology. In June 2025, GS Inima developed a 6.3MWp photovoltaic power plant at the Barka V desalination plant in Oman to strengthen the company's commitment to a sustainable water management model.

8. ACWA Power

Established in 2004, the company is a global leader in power generation and water desalination, recognized as the largest private desalination operator and a pioneer in clean energy and green hydrogen. In July 2025, the company announced the signing of key agreements with the Government of Senegal to develop the Grande-Côte seawater desalination project.

9. TAQA

TAQA, founded in 2005 and headquartered in Abu Dhabi, is a branch out energy and utilities group with noteworthy water and power desalination operations in the UAE and internationally. The company is dedicated to efficient desalination using cleaner energy sources. In May 2025, TAQA Morocco announced an investment of total USD 14 billion to support Morocco’s clean energy transition and its long-term water security.

10. WABAG

WABAG is focused solely on water technology and specializes in total water management, and offers desalination solutions for both municipal and industrial clients. The firm utilizes technologies such as thermal evaporation and reverse osmosis. In July 2025, the company received a ~USD 272 million deal from the Saudi Water Authority to build a 300 MLD SWRO desalination plant in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.

Is Desalination a Complete Solution to Water Scarcity?

Desalination is not a panacea. It can be used as a reliable source of water supply in conjunction with rainwater harvesting, water recycling, and water conservative technologies, particularly in water-stressed and water-scarce areas where other sources of supply are limited. The future of desalination technologies depends on overcoming ecological and economic challenges, so that it can continue to be a lifesaving solution for millions of people and create a virtually limitless source of fresh water from seawater. It also requires the development of sustainable energy sources and effective methods to manage the concentrated seawater by-product from treatment, including safe disposal or zero liquid discharge solutions.