- The Maldives will build its first deep-sea subsea desalination plant by mid-2027, partnering with Norwegian firm FLOCEAN to draw water from 500 metres below sea level.
- Deep-sea extraction offers major advantages including energy efficiency, cleaner salt content, reduced membrane fouling, and lower operational costs due to natural water pressure.
- MWSC will lay pipelines along the Thilamale' Bridge and build a central storage facility on Thilafushi or Gulhifalhu to serve Male' and Hulhumale'.
The Maldives is set to construct its first deep-sea subsea desalination plant by mid-2027, drawing water from 500 metres below sea level.
Project officials confirmed the development during a state media broadcast, highlighting plans to build the facility in partnership with FLOCEAN, a Norwegian technology firm specialising in subsea desalination systems.
The initiative aims to address the growing demand for fresh water in the capital region while overcoming severe land constraints on inhabited islands.
The project leverages subsea desalination technology to extract water at high natural pressure deep underwater. According to project leaders, drawing water from a depth of 500 metres offers significant operational and environmental advantages over traditional land-based reverse osmosis facilities.
“First of all, we are looking at the financial feasibility, how big the investment will be,” managing director Hussain Fahumy said. “There are huge advantages: energy efficiency, ease of discharging, rejecting water into the sea, and the salt content at 500 metres is very clean.”
The deep-sea environment features lower levels of organic contaminants, which reduces membrane fouling and cuts overall maintenance requirements. Additionally, the natural water pressure at 500 metres reduces the electricity required to drive the filtration process, significantly lowering operational costs.
To distribute the processed water, state utility provider Male’ Water and Sewerage Company Limited (MWSC) plans to lay supply pipelines alongside the Thilamale’ Bridge, connecting the network to Male’ and Hulhumale’.
The utility intends to build a central water storage facility on either Thilafushi or Gulhifalhu to service the capital city and nearby port facilities. Discussions between engineers and government officials remain ongoing to ensure pipeline installation begins before contractors complete the bridge project.
MWSC and FLOCEAN are currently completing financial feasibility and technical assessments. As part of the technical agreement, local engineers will travel to Norway to receive direct operational training at an existing subsea facility.
The project represents a structural shift in how the island nation manages its critical water infrastructure, offering a scalable model that bypasses the limitations of scarce land area.
