In USSR giant desalinization station was biuld on the beach of Caspian sea. Some time ago, when water from Dnepr was shut down by Ukraine there was project to build two stations in Crimea, but now they seem to be unneeded, since water supply was restored.

The problem with desalinisation stations is that you need a lot of heat energy. You could build some heater fueled with whatever fuel, or build some thing that have a lot of excess heat as byproduct. Like powerstation - it will produce its main product - electricity, as usual and provide heat to desalinization station.

So, to build desalinization station you have to build powerstation. In USSR every big project was directed by government, so there was no problems with such multiindustry projects. Also, nobody wished to make money on selling water to people, it was social thing (now it is social thing too, people in Russia really pay only for maintenance of tap systems, not for water itself). And there was a trick - every power plant need a cooling system. Here we often use centralized heating system of nearby town as a cooling system for power station. In the same way USSR desalination station was a cooling system for nuclear plant.

As far a I understand in western economic system is impossible to make desalinisation station profitable. It is also impossible to return any investments. You will burn fuel in complex plant and that water will be the only thing to sell. Also, taking in mind USSR way no powerplant owner will spend money on upgrading his plant with desalinisation "cooler", and those who want water do not see any sense to build unneded powerplant.

In USSR giant desalinization station was biuld on the beach of Caspian sea. Some time ago, when water from Dnepr was shut down by Ukraine there was project to build two stations in Crimea, but now they seem to be unneeded, since water supply was restored.

The problem with desalinisation stations is that you need a lot of heat energy. You could build some heater fueled with whatever fuel, or build some thing that have a lot of excess heat as byproduct. Like powerstation - it will produce its main product - electricity, as usual and provide heat to desalinization station.

So, to build desalinization station you have to build powerstation. In USSR every big project was directed by government, so there was no problems with such multiindustry projects. Also, nobody wished to make money on selling water to people, it was social thing (now it is social thing too, people in Russia really pay only for maintenance of tap systems, not for water itself). And there was a trick - every power plant need a cooling system. Here we often use centralized heating system of nearby town as a cooling system for power station. In the same way USSR desalination station was a cooling system for nuclear plant.

As far a I understand in western economic system is impossible to make desalinisation station profitable. It is also impossible to return any investments. You will burn fuel in complex plant and that water will be the only way to sell. Also, taking in mind USSR way no powerplant owner will spend money on upgrading his plant with desalinisation "cooler", and those who want water do not see any sense to build unneded powerplant.

In USSR giant desalinization station was biuld on the beach of Caspian sea. Some time ago, when water from Dnepr was shut down by Ukraine there was project to build two stations in Crimea, but now they seem to be unneeded, since water supply was restored.

The problem with desalinisation stations is that you need a lot of heat energy. You could build some heater fueled with whatever fuel, or build some thing that have a lot of excess heat as byproduct. Like powerstation - it will produce its main product - electricity, as usual and provide heat to desalinization station.

So, to build desalinization station you have to build powerstation. In USSR every big project was directed by government, so there was no problems with such projects. Also, nobody wished to make money on selling water to people, it was social thing (now it is social thing too, people in Russia really pay only for maintenance of tap systems, not for water itself). And there was a trick - every power plant need a cooling system. Here we often use centralized heating system of nearby town as a cooling system for power station. In the same way USSR desalination station was a cooling system for nuclear plant.

As far a I understand in western economic system is impossible to make desalinisation station profitable. It is also impossible to return any investments. You will burn fuel in complex plant and that water will be the only way to sell. Also, taking in mind USSR way no powerplant owner will spend money on upgrading his plant with desalinisation "cooler", and those who want water do not see any sense to build unneded powerplant.