Azerbaijan launches desalination of Caspian water - innovations and international experience

Water is gradually becoming one of the key strategic resources of the 21st century, and Azerbaijan is increasingly building its own long-term policy in this area. Baku's interest in seawater desalination projects, both inside and outside the country, can no longer be considered as separate initiatives. We are talking about a systematic approach in which investments, technology, geopolitics and national security issues are intertwined.

For the first time, a desalination plant will be built in our country to improve the water supply of the Absheron Peninsula, and this process has already begun. This was stated by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at a meeting on water supply in Baku and Absheron on Monday. The Head of State stressed that the advantage of this project lies in the fact that it will be implemented exclusively at the expense of foreign investments. The project will increase the volume of water flowing to Baku and the Absheron Peninsula.

The topic of seawater desalination is of interest to the Azerbaijani side not only in the context of the country's water security. Today, Azerbaijan is considering the possibility of going beyond the republic's borders in this area. Indicative in this light was the report by the Israeli newspaper The Marker that the Azerbaijani Investment Holding (AIH) is conducting a comprehensive audit of IDE, the largest water desalination operator in Israel. The possibility of acquiring 30 percent of the company's shares is being considered. The deal's value could range from $250 million to $270 million.

To understand the scale: IDE Technologies provides about 45 percent of Israel's total desalinated water, and the country itself covers about 70 percent of its water needs through desalination. The company is one of the world leaders in this field, uses advanced technologies (reverse osmosis, distillation) and builds large desalination plants. The Sorek desalination plant, built by IDE, is one of the largest and most powerful seawater desalination plants in the world. It is located near Tel Aviv. The station uses unique vertical 16-inch membranes and demonstrates high desalination efficiency.

If the deal goes through, it will become Azerbaijan's second major state investment in Israeli infrastructure. In the summer of 2025, SOCAR, the state oil company, has already acquired a 10 percent stake in the Tamar gas field for $1.25 billion. Thus, Baku is consistently strengthening its strategic partnership with Israel. And now not only in the energy sector, but also in the critically important field of water technology.

It is important that Azerbaijan's interest in desalination is not limited to foreign assets. Back in 2022, Azerbaijan Investment Company OJSC and IDE Water Assets Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of a plant for desalination of Caspian Sea water. At that time, Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov spoke directly about his intention to transfer Israeli experience and technology to Azerbaijani realities.

In October 2024, the National Strategy for the Efficient Use of Water Resources for 2024-2040 was approved. This is an extremely important document, given the objective reality: about 70 percent of Azerbaijan's water resources are formed outside the country. In such conditions, desalination of seawater becomes not an exotic, but a rational and in many ways inevitable solution. It is expected that from 2027, desalinated seawater will begin to flow into the water supply system of Baku and its suburbs. The pilot project is scheduled to be launched this year. The preparation of contracts and project documentation with the participation of international companies is currently being finalized. This was announced at the opening of the II International Exhibition and Conference "Water Management" Baku Water Week, held in September last year.

Although the Israeli side has shown great interest in the project in Azerbaijan, the tender for the construction of a Caspian water desalination plant was won by Saudi ACWA Power. The Israeli IDE and the Metito Utilities company from the UAE took the second and third places.

The Saudi company will build an enterprise in the Sumgayit industrial Park with a capacity of 300 thousand cubic meters of water per day. The project is designed for 27.5 years, after which the facility will be under the management of the State Agency for Water Resources of Azerbaijan. During the 30th anniversary Baku Energy Forum, Polina Lyubomirova, Business Development Director of the Saudi company ACWA Power, said that the company is in the final stage of preparing documentation for the construction of a seawater desalination plant for the production of drinking water in Azerbaijan. According to her, ACWA considers not only energy projects, but also strives to take into account all the needs of the country, including water supply issues.

The choice of ACWA Power is not accidental. The company is one of the world leaders in the field of water desalination and green energy, implements 94 projects in 13 countries, and the total value of its portfolio reaches 97 billion dollars. She is already involved in a number of major projects in Azerbaijan. For example, the Khizi-Absheron wind farm, built by ACWA Power, was recently commissioned.

Global experience shows that desalination is an expensive but effective way to ensure water safety. Suffice it to say that the countries of the Persian Gulf actually live off this method of obtaining drinking water. The region produces more than 44 percent of all desalinated water in the world. In some Gulf countries, desalinated water accounts for 90 percent of total water consumption. Israel has achieved great success in this area, including thanks to IDE technologies. The country has become an oasis in the desert, transforming chronic water scarcity into a manageable problem.

Note that the most common seawater desalination technology today is reverse osmosis, a process in which pressurized water passes through semipermeable membranes that trap salts, bacteria, and viruses. It is precisely such technologies that will be used in Azerbaijan. Experts reassure us that before getting into the homes of residents of Baku and Absheron, seawater will undergo multi-stage purification and will be cleaner than traditional water supply sources. Moreover, technology continues to evolve. Recent research by an international group of scientists from China, Saudi Arabia and the United States has shown the promise of graphene-based membranes capable of removing up to 99.7 percent of salts from seawater. Such developments open up new opportunities for cheaper and more efficient desalination in the future.

Azerbaijan's investments in desalination, both in Israel and within the country, are part of a unified strategy. In the context of climate change, population growth and regional risks, technology is becoming the tool that makes it possible to turn vulnerability into an advantage. Israel has perfectly demonstrated this by its example.

Paradoxically, it is the modern industry that has influenced the climate that today gives humanity a chance to adapt and find a way out of a difficult situation. Research shows that the planet's freshwater reserves continue to decline. This means that new technologies must have their say.