Technology options and cost estimates of nuclear powered desalination in the United Arab Emirates

The shortage of fresh water supply is a serious concern in the United Arab Emirates (UAE); such aspects make it nearly impossible to sustain the generation of potable water by strategies other than seawater desalination. With rising concerns over utilizing conventional energy technologies, nuclear desalination is seen as an effective option. The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential cost of seawater nuclear desalination for the UAE in two meteorological seasons of summer and winter. Three desalination techniques including reverse osmosis (RO), multi-effect distillation with thermal vapor compressors (MED-TVC), and a hybrid combination of MED-TVC+RO coupled to Barakah Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) are assessed using IAEA’s DEEP-5 code. A sensitivity analysis is also conducted including a parametric variation in the interest rate, discount rate, and specific unit cost of the desalination plant. The seasonal study indicates that water costs increased in the winter, relative to summer with the MED-TVC being the highest in cost, followed by MED-TVC+RO, and RO. The power cost is found to be the only parameter affected by the interest and discount rates and, thus, the RO is the most economically competitive technology with further advantages in terms of safety aspects.