Economic perspectives on nuclear desalination deployment in the MENA region
Most countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region suffer from water scarcity and stress, especially in areas with high solar isolation and hot weather. Nuclear energy offers many potentials, including low-cost, large-scale supply, eco-friendly energy production, and optimal alternativ...
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Elsevier
2025-03-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Thermofluids |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666202725000047 |
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| author | Shatha Alyazouri Ammar Alkhalidi |
| author_facet | Shatha Alyazouri Ammar Alkhalidi |
| author_sort | Shatha Alyazouri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Most countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region suffer from water scarcity and stress, especially in areas with high solar isolation and hot weather. Nuclear energy offers many potentials, including low-cost, large-scale supply, eco-friendly energy production, and optimal alternatives to depleted fossil fuel-based energy production. This study conducts a preliminary economic analysis of nuclear desalination, focusing on three reactor technologies of interest in the MENA region —APR-1400, HTR-PM, and SMART— each coupled with Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) methods. Utilizing the Desalination Economic Evaluation Program (DEEP) model, the indicative analysis reveals that high-temperature helium-cooled reactors exhibit the most cost-effective outcomes for both MED and RO desalination. Generally, RO desalination systems demonstrate lower costs than MED options. Significantly, all scenarios fall within an economically viable range of 0.69 to 1.04 $/m³. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis shows that RO desalination processes are more sensitive to the salinity of the feedwater. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d9192ff2f06a48cb98f926a10d3e6e78 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2666-2027 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Thermofluids |
| spelling | doaj-art-d9192ff2f06a48cb98f926a10d3e6e782025-08-20T01:57:36ZengElsevierInternational Journal of Thermofluids2666-20272025-03-012610105610.1016/j.ijft.2025.101056Economic perspectives on nuclear desalination deployment in the MENA regionShatha Alyazouri0Ammar Alkhalidi1Sustainable Energy & Power Systems Research Centre, RISE, University of Sharjah, 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Sustainable & Renewable Energy Engineering Department, University of Sharjah, 27272, Sharjah, United Arab EmiratesSustainable Energy & Power Systems Research Centre, RISE, University of Sharjah, 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Sustainable & Renewable Energy Engineering Department, University of Sharjah, 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Corresponding author at: Sustainable and Renewable Energy Department, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.Most countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region suffer from water scarcity and stress, especially in areas with high solar isolation and hot weather. Nuclear energy offers many potentials, including low-cost, large-scale supply, eco-friendly energy production, and optimal alternatives to depleted fossil fuel-based energy production. This study conducts a preliminary economic analysis of nuclear desalination, focusing on three reactor technologies of interest in the MENA region —APR-1400, HTR-PM, and SMART— each coupled with Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) methods. Utilizing the Desalination Economic Evaluation Program (DEEP) model, the indicative analysis reveals that high-temperature helium-cooled reactors exhibit the most cost-effective outcomes for both MED and RO desalination. Generally, RO desalination systems demonstrate lower costs than MED options. Significantly, all scenarios fall within an economically viable range of 0.69 to 1.04 $/m³. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis shows that RO desalination processes are more sensitive to the salinity of the feedwater.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666202725000047Economic analysisNuclear energyWater desalinationMENA Region |
| spellingShingle | Shatha Alyazouri Ammar Alkhalidi Economic perspectives on nuclear desalination deployment in the MENA region International Journal of Thermofluids Economic analysis Nuclear energy Water desalination MENA Region |
| title | Economic perspectives on nuclear desalination deployment in the MENA region |
| title_full | Economic perspectives on nuclear desalination deployment in the MENA region |
| title_fullStr | Economic perspectives on nuclear desalination deployment in the MENA region |
| title_full_unstemmed | Economic perspectives on nuclear desalination deployment in the MENA region |
| title_short | Economic perspectives on nuclear desalination deployment in the MENA region |
| title_sort | economic perspectives on nuclear desalination deployment in the mena region |
| topic | Economic analysis Nuclear energy Water desalination MENA Region |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666202725000047 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT shathaalyazouri economicperspectivesonnucleardesalinationdeploymentinthemenaregion AT ammaralkhalidi economicperspectivesonnucleardesalinationdeploymentinthemenaregion |