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Desalination

All articles tagged with #desalination

Trump's Threat to Iran's Desalination Plants Could Redraw Middle East Water Security
world11 days ago

Trump's Threat to Iran's Desalination Plants Could Redraw Middle East Water Security

Trump said on Truth Social that if a deal isn’t reached and the Hormuz Strait remains blocked, the U.S. could blow up Iran’s energy infrastructure and possibly its desalination plants, a move that could jeopardize Gulf water supplies that rely heavily on desalinated water. Desalination is vital for cities across the region, so such attacks would carry humanitarian and geopolitical consequences, with Gulf states scrambling to bolster backups while international law prohibits targeting civilian water infrastructure.

Trump threatens to obliterate Iran's energy infrastructure if ceasefire stalls
world12 days ago

Trump threatens to obliterate Iran's energy infrastructure if ceasefire stalls

U.S. President Donald Trump warned that, if a ceasefire with Iran is not reached “shortly,” the United States could widen its military campaign by destroying Iran’s energy resources and critical infrastructure—including oil facilities and desalination plants—while regional fighting and negotiations continue, with discussions about seizing Kharg Island influencing the U.S. approach.

Corpus Christi’s water crisis: months of supply left as industrial demand surges
climate16 days ago

Corpus Christi’s water crisis: months of supply left as industrial demand surges

Corpus Christi, Texas, is nearing a water emergency as Lake Corpus Christi sits at about 9% capacity and nearby lakes are even lower, threatening residential taps while a petrochemical and steel‑making boom dries up available water. Industry has pledged large water allocations for new plants, but supplies are uncertain, and a gulf desalination plant (Inner Harbor) has faced escalating costs and delays. City officials are pursuing groundwater and other sources, while Governor Abbott has floated state intervention and rules to accelerate relief. A potential Level 1 drought could force mandatory cuts, though industry concerns over jobs and economic impact complicate decisions, underscoring the clash between industrial water use and climate-driven scarcity.

Iran flags 'water war' risk as it threatens desalination plants, UN official warns
world18 days ago

Iran flags 'water war' risk as it threatens desalination plants, UN official warns

UN official Kaveh Madani warns Iran could strike desalination and energy infrastructure across the Middle East within days, risking a regional water crisis and global economic fallout. Desalination plants on sites like Bahrain and Qeshm Island are cited amid rising tensions with the U.S. and Israel; experts say damage to water and power infrastructure could be catastrophic and have lasting effects, potentially driving oil prices higher.

UN Warns Iran Could Hit Desalination Plants, Triggering Water Crisis and Market Fallout
world19 days ago

UN Warns Iran Could Hit Desalination Plants, Triggering Water Crisis and Market Fallout

A UN official warns Iran could target desalination plants across the Middle East within days, risking a regional water crisis with immediate and lasting knock-on effects on global markets, including oil prices. The report cites alleged strikes on facilities such as Bahrain and Iran’s Qeshm Island plant amid escalating tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran threatening retaliation against energy and infrastructure targets if attacked.

Corpus Christi on the brink: two months from emergency water rules
environment24 days ago

Corpus Christi on the brink: two months from emergency water rules

Corpus Christi could be just two months from declaring a level-one water emergency, with five projected scenarios showing shortages by May and little rainfall forecast through July–September. City leaders have not finalized a curtailment plan, while Gov. Abbott has ordered agencies to fast-track actions to stretch supplies. Officials are pushing to restart a stalled desalination project and are drilling wells in Nueces and San Patricio counties to shore up supply, despite permitting hurdles and potential legal challenges. The council approved hundreds of millions for groundwater projects and land purchases, but completion is years away and gaps in supply remain possible.

Corpus Christi braces for 25% water-use cut as drought tightens
local24 days ago

Corpus Christi braces for 25% water-use cut as drought tightens

With reservoirs at roughly 8.6% capacity amid a severe drought, Corpus Christi is briefing its city council on new models that could accelerate a Level 1 water emergency and require a 25% cut in usage, while officials pursue a diversified supply plan—groundwater, wastewater reuse and desalination—after last year’s desalination project was killed and ongoing permitting and funding hurdles persist.

Trump’s AI czar warns off-ramp needed as Iran conflict could render Gulf states uninhabitable
world27 days ago

Trump’s AI czar warns off-ramp needed as Iran conflict could render Gulf states uninhabitable

Fortune contributor and Trump’s AI/crypto czar, David Sacks, warned that extending the U.S.-Israel war on Iran could trigger catastrophic escalation—potentially destroying desalination plants that supply the Gulf region’s water and leaving the Gulf states almost uninhabitable—and urged finding an off‑ramp and pursuing de-escalation to avert humanitarian and economic catastrophe.

Abbott presses Corpus Christi over looming water crisis with threat of state takeover
state-government1 month ago

Abbott presses Corpus Christi over looming water crisis with threat of state takeover

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott criticized Corpus Christi leaders for delaying action on a looming water shortage and warned the state may intervene to ensure residents have reliable taps; the city has about $1 billion in supply projects coming online later this year or next, but ongoing industrial demand, drought and past planning missteps could trigger shortages within a year, prompting conservation measures and new desalination efforts that are years away.

Desalination Under Fire: Gulf Water Security on the Brink
middle-east1 month ago

Desalination Under Fire: Gulf Water Security on the Brink

Bahrain says an Iranian drone damaged a Gulf desalination plant—the first reported attack in the region during the current conflict—while Iran accuses the US of hitting a plant on Qeshm Island, highlighting the Gulf’s heavy reliance on desalinated water. GCC states account for a large share of global desalination capacity, making outages potentially severe for drinking water and agriculture; experts urge regional coordination, diversified and distributed desalination, and shared water reserves to bolster resilience amid ongoing tensions.

Iranian barrage widens Gulf clash as UAE intercepts most missiles and Bahrain reports desalination plant damage
world1 month ago

Iranian barrage widens Gulf clash as UAE intercepts most missiles and Bahrain reports desalination plant damage

Iran launched a wide-ranging missile and drone attack on Gulf states, with the UAE saying it intercepted most of the strikes (16 missiles and 117 drones) and Bahrain reporting material damage to a desalination plant. Iran vows to escalate further as the conflict widens, while the Arab League and other leaders condemn the attacks. The fighting has killed more than 1,200 people in Iran, over 300 in Lebanon, and about a dozen in Israel, triggering international calls for de‑escalation and dialogue.

Iranian drone damages Bahrain desalination plant amid regional conflict
world1 month ago

Iranian drone damages Bahrain desalination plant amid regional conflict

Amid a widening Middle East war, Iran launched a drone attack that damaged Bahrain's desalination plant—the first reported strike on such critical water infrastructure by Iran—while the broader fighting included US-Israeli strikes on Tehran oil facilities, regional missile and drone exchanges, a sinking UAE tugboat in the Strait of Hormuz, explosions in Yazd, and multiple casualties and political statements.

Hydrated Sodium Vanadate Boosts Sodium-Ion Battery Performance and Desalination
technology1 month ago

Hydrated Sodium Vanadate Boosts Sodium-Ion Battery Performance and Desalination

University of Surrey researchers found that keeping water in nanostructured sodium vanadate hydrate (NVOH) dramatically boosts sodium-ion battery performance, nearly doubling energy storage, speeding charging, and maintaining stability for 400+ cycles. In seawater, the hydrated material also enables electrochemical desalination with a graphite electrode removing chloride, hinting at future batteries that store energy while desalinating water.