Techno-Economic Performance Modeling of Integrated Nuclear-Reverse Osmosis Plants: A Case Study

Gençaslan B., Yağcı D., Gnaifaid H.

International Journal of Energy Horizon, sa.1, ss.10-20, 2026 (Hakemli Dergi)

Özet

This study investigates the integration of nuclear energy into seawater desalination systems to achieve sustainable freshwater production. Nuclear reactors present significant potential as reliable, continuous, and low-carbon energy sources suitable for both thermal desalination processes, such as Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) , Multi-Stage Flash (MSF), and membrane-based technologies like Reverse Osmosis (RO). The analysis employs the Desalination Economic Evaluation Program (DEEP), developed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as a techno-economic assessment tool to evaluate desalination systems powered by various energy sources. The comparative assessment between nuclear- and coal-based configurations highlights that the nuclear option offers lower production costs and higher energy efficiency under identical operating conditions. These findings demonstrate the potential of nuclear-powered desalination systems as a cost-effective and sustainable solution for future freshwater and energy generation. Nuclear desalination processes are found to be competitive with current fossil fuel-based desalination programs, with associated life cycle carbon emissions of nuclear-driven options being two to three orders of magnitude less than that of the fossil fuel-based route [1].