Six desalination plants, which can turn seawater into drinking water, are planned to be built by water companies in southeast England, according to a government minister.
Desalination is used in regions experiencing water stress, which means there is not enough water available from freshwater sources like rivers and reservoirs. It is a less desirable way of producing drinking water because it is expensive to build and run the plants.
On 10 June, Labour MP for Ashford Sojan Joseph led a debate about water supply in Kent after tens of thousands of people were left without water in November and December 2025.
“There are options for desalination. We are coastal and have lots of marsh areas, so I would appreciate hearing what the options for Kent are from the Minister,” he said.
Fellow Kent MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, Labour’s Kevin McKenna later added: “What are we going to do about securing future supply, especially through reservoirs and desalination plants? What is the plan, Minister?
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) minister for water and flooding Emma Hardy responded.
“Six desalination plants are planned, largely in the south and south-east. One plant will specifically supply water for Sizewell C. Another is currently in operation in the Thames area, but there are also plants planned for Norfolk, Lincolnshire and the south and east coasts,” she said.
A House of Commons Library research briefing published in July 2025 titled Future water resources explained what desalination plants do and what plans water companies had to build them.
It said: “Desalination is the creation of potable (drinking water) supply from saltwater through a filtration and treatment process. It usually involves filtering, treatment (including removal of salts and addition of minerals) and waste disposal.”
In addition, regarding England as a whole, it said: “Nine new desalination schemes are proposed across water company WRMPs (water resource management plans). Many water companies have proposed desalination schemes as an option for increasing their water supply dramatically, with some of these intended to be used as a backup ‘turn on/turn off’ resource in times of drought or scarcity.”
None of the planned nine are expected to begin construction until at least 2040, the briefing said, and one is already in operation – at Beckton, which is run by Thames Water, and Par desalination is being built by South West Water.
Responding to the debate, South East Water head of water resources Nick Price told NCE: “Desalination is an expensive option, but one that is continuously considered.
“We have investigated the use of desalination plants to provide future water resources as part of our 50-year Water Resources Management Plan and we will continue to do so for our next plan due in 2029.
“A desalination plant at Reculver (in Kent) which could provide 30M litres of water a day by 2044 has been proposed within our latest Water Resources Management Plan.”
Price added: “The need for desalination plants, which turn seawater and brackish water into drinking water by removing the salt, is driven by the long-term need to protect and improve the environment, as well as to meet the future pressures from climate change and a growing population.
“We have started reassessing our supply and demand forecasts to determine the need for new resources as part of the process of developing our next Water Resources Management Plan and this may highlight that Reculver is needed earlier than 2044.”
It is understood that Anglian Water is planning two seawater desalination plants to address projected potable water shortfalls in Norfolk and Lincolnshire. It is the only UK water company developing new seawater desalination plants as part of its AMP8 (asset management period 8) plans.
Without intervention, a daily shortfall of 593 megalitres of water is estimated by 2050, which equates to approximately half of the current volume of water entering the network, NCE understands.
In January, Anglian Water awarded a £29M technical contract to develop its two upcoming desalination plants, in Norfolk and Lincolnshire, to Typsa-Stantec.
An Anglian Water spokesperson told NCE: “We recognise the significant long-term challenges facing water supply in the East of England and are exploring a range of options to maintain resilient supplies for customers.
“This includes early-stage work to consider potential seawater desalination projects along the Norfolk and Lincolnshire coasts, as part of our broader plans to address future water demand and climate pressures.
“These proposals are still in development, however, with further consultation planned in the coming years.”
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