Potential of nuclear desalination in the Arabian Gulf countries

Water issues in Kuwait: a future sustainable vision

“…About 65% of desalination plants that are in operation worldwide are located in the GCC countries and most of these are the dual-purpose MSF plants, producing power and water [44].…”

“…Al-Mutaz [44] advocates nuclear energy for desalination in the GCC countries and perceives no technical impediment to the use of nuclear reactors for supply of either heat or electricity to a desalination plant. The efficiency of such a solution depends on the specific site data.…”

Technical and Political Assessment of Peaceful Nuclear Power Program Prospects in North Africa and the Middle East

“…591 Though demand for water is the lowest among Gulf States, water must still be provided for the Kuwaiti per capita consumption rate of 116.2 m 3 per year. 592 Water desalination, then, is a primary source of freshwater in Kuwait. The first desalination plant was established in 1953 with a total capacity of 4,545 m³ per day.…”

“…Per capita annual demand has reached 821.6 m 3 , the highest among Gulf States. 628 A significant portion of Oman's water needs are met through desalination plants, with production capacity in 2003 reaching over 250,000 m 3 per day, of which 95% is produced by the multi-stage flash (MSF) distillation process using steam and the rest from Reverse Osmosis (RO) membrane technology driven by electric pumps. 629 Overall demand for desalinated water is expected to increase from 86 million m The Middle East Desalination Research Center (MEDRC) is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to research and education on desalination with an emphasis on regional requirements for the Middle East.…”

The role of desalination in augmentation of water supply in GCC countries

“…The estimated population in 2002 was 30.3 million with an average growth rate of 3.73% [3]. Population projections for GCC countries over the period 1995-2025 are given in Table 2.…”