- By Supratik Das
- Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:05 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
China seawater fuel:In a breakthrough that could rewrite the future of clean energy and water security, China has commissioned a world-first facility in its eastern province of Shandong that simultaneously converts seawater to drinking water and green hydrogen fuel at an unprecedentedly low cost.
Situated in the coastal city of Rizhao, the plant runs completely on seawater and industrial waste heat from nearby steel and petrochemical factories, according to a report by the South China Morning Post. The project has continuously run for more than three weeks, marking the first time this technology has been successfully demonstrated in the real world at scale.
One Input, Three Valuable Outputs
The facility follows a “one-input, three-output” circular production system. For every 800 tonnes of seawater processed annually, it delivers 450 cubic metres of ultra-pure freshwater suitable for industrial and residential use.
Alongside this, it produces 192,000 cubic metres of green hydrogen and around 350 tonnes of mineral-rich brine used for marine chemical manufacturing. The hydrogen generated each year is enough to power nearly 100 hydrogen-powered buses for distances of up to 3,800 kilometres each.
Cheapest Seawater Processing Cost Globally
What has drawn global attention is the cost. China’s new process produces freshwater at just two yuan per cubic metre, roughly Rs 24. This undercuts desalination costs in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where prices average around Rs 42 per cubic metre, and is far cheaper than the Rs 186 per cubic metre cost at California’s largest desalination plant. Even Beijing’s tap water costs more, at around five yuan per cubic metre for residential supply.
Hydrogen has long been considered a future clean fuel, but its traditional production requires large volumes of ultra-pure freshwater and very high electricity consumption. Seawater, because of its high salt content, would usually cause severe corrosion and damage to the equipment.
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This Rizhao facility overcame these technical obstacles through the use of corrosion-resistant catalytic systems and seawater regulation technology. It also uses low-grade industrial waste heat to generate freshwater, eliminating the need for traditional cooling systems and reducing energy consumption significantly. Senior engineer Qin Jianguang of the Laoshan Laboratory said the project opens a completely new path for extracting energy from the sea rather than simply filling hydrogen cylinders.
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By combining desalination, clean hydrogen production and industrial waste heat recovery, the China project offers a practical template for zero-carbon coastal energy systems. Thus for port cities like Rizhao, the innovation is not only cutting emissions but also driving a new phase of green industrial transformation.