MWSC studies 500-metre deep-sea desalination for Malé

MWSC tests 500-metre deep seawater in subsea desalination study

MWSC is studying whether subsea desalination can provide a more efficient freshwater source for the Greater Malé region.

Mohamed Hilmy

17 October 2026, 11:19

Malé Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) is progressing a feasibility study on using subsea desalination technology to produce freshwater for the Greater Malé region.

As part of the study, a technical team from Flocean has collected seawater samples from a depth of around 500 metres for testing and analysis. The study is examining whether the technology can provide a more efficient and sustainable source of freshwater for the Maldives.

Flocean’s technology uses the natural hydrostatic pressure found at greater ocean depths to support the reverse osmosis process. This is expected to reduce the amount of electricity required for desalination while also lowering the need for chemicals and reducing environmental impacts.

MWSC said technical references provided by Flocean indicate that the technology could reduce electricity consumption by around 40% to 50% compared with conventional desalination systems. However, the company stressed that this figure has not yet been verified for the Maldives, with the feasibility study intended to determine the technology’s performance under local conditions.

The study will assess the technical, financial and environmental viability of introducing the system in the Maldives before further implementation decisions are made.

MWSC tests 500-metre deep seawater in subsea desalination study

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