"Its capacity will double and reach 40,000 cubic meters a day in the second phase," Azizolah Kenarizadeh was quoted as saying by Tehran-based media group Donya-e-Eqtesad, a sister publication of Financial Tribune.
Supplying electricity to the plant is a major problem and talks are underway with the provincial power company to this end, he added.
The official noted that to tackle water crisis in the deprived region where underground resources are severely depleted, producing water from saline water sources is inevitable, Financial Tribune reported.
In the coastal regions where salt water is plentiful, large and semi-large desalination plants are preferred “but a big constraint in such plants is “high electricity use.”
Due to huge power consumption, desalination is generally more costly than supplying fresh water from river basins or water recycling and water conservation. Nevertheless, the alternatives are not always possible and depletion of reserves is a critical worldwide problem.
According to the International Desalination Association, in 2015 there were 18,426 desalination plants operating worldwide, producing 86.8 million cubic meters per day and providing water to 300 million people.
Despite the progress and innovations in desalination, their electricity demand is tremendous. Advanced machinery and equipment need anything between 10 and 30 kilo-watt hours to desalinate 3,700 liters of saline water.
The power need can differ notably based on the type of desalination as well as the salt content of the water. Hence, to process 45 billion liters of water daily, the world uses at least 80 million kW-h of electricity. The actual figure could well be higher as many plants use old technology that requires more electricity.
"Lack of safe water for the rural folks is a problem," Kenarizadeh warned, noting that several villages in the area have been abandoned and developing Bandar Abbas water desalination unit can help curb rural-urban migration and contribute to sustainable rural development in the dry regions.
According to Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian the government plans to invest 20 trillion rials ($453 million) in the power industry, especially in the border areas.
In a nutshell, as the world's population continues to grow, existing water resources, including dwindling underground tables, will become insufficient. As more and more water is required to satisfy mankind's needs, desalination will become a crucial source of useable water.