The concept has an almost paradoxical quality. The Arabian Gulf is surrounded by countries that struggle with water scarcity, and the ocean itself, drawn from depths most people never consider, is being suggested as a solution rather than a new dam, a rain-harvesting system, or another desalination plant bolted onto a coastline. In particular, Oman is getting ready to extract water from over 400 meters below the ocean’s surface, and the goal is more ambitious than it first seems.
Once you sit with the fundamentals, they are actually fascinating. At those depths, deep ocean water is essentially sealed. The temperature is between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius, which is chilly. According to research related to the project, it is rich in minerals, including more than 70 ionic and trace elements. Crucially, it is mostly devoid of surface pollutants, heavy metals, and bacteria that impede shallower water sources. It can be used for more than just drinking water because of this combination. Potential uses include industrial cooling, skincare, mineral extraction, agriculture, and aquaculture. It’s still unclear if all of those uses will be profitable, but it’s difficult to rule out the possibility.
Oman is particularly well-suited for this due to geography rather than ambition. The Omani coastline is remarkably close to the deep ocean—closer than practically anywhere else in the area. The waters close to Qurayat, a seaside town southeast of Muscat, have been found to be especially suitable for the establishment of what project developers refer to as a Deep Ocean Water Industrial Park. The water near Oman is remarkably pure and mineral-rich, according to a feasibility study commissioned by Singapore-based Transocean Fortune Integrator (Water). That’s the kind of discovery that usually brings investors and engineers together.
Agreements were being signed by the beginning of 2025. China National Electric Engineering Company and Oman Deep Ocean LLC, the Singaporean company’s local subsidiary, signed an engineering, procurement, and construction contract for the project’s first phase. A 50,000-ton-per-day desalination plant and a facility for producing bottled water are the main focus of the first phase, which also includes pilot projects for aquaculture and agriculture. Last September, Surbana Jurong consultants and senior representatives from Oman’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Water Resources attended a planning workshop in Muscat. The project is progressing, but not at a rate that indicates promotional momentum but rather true complexity.
Here, the larger context is important. The Arabian Gulf has the greatest concentration of desalination facilities worldwide, and the salinity of that body of water has been gradually increasing. The more those plants consume shallow coastal waters, the more saline those waters become; this is a gradual, compounding issue for which the area has yet to find a satisfactory solution. Water in the deep ocean functions completely outside of that cycle. The same coastal ecosystems are not disrupted or contribute to the rising salinity when it is tapped. That in and of itself justifies a thorough investigation, even before the economics are fully understood.
The complete cost structure at scale is still unknown. It takes significant infrastructure and consistent energy input to pump water from 400 meters below the surface. The water’s cold temperature, which contributes to its attractiveness for cooling applications, also necessitates careful engineering to control once it reaches the surface. These are not insignificant technical details, but actual difficulties. Similar projects have been discussed in other countries, such as South Korea, Japan, and Hawaii, with varying degrees of success in terms of commercial scaling. Lessons learned elsewhere may be beneficial to Oman, but the delivery will be the test.
As this project develops, it seems like Oman is taking a more methodical approach than most water or energy projects. This is not a single dramatic announcement. Workshops, feasibility studies, phased planning documents, and ministerial attendance at technical presentations are the alternatives. That isn’t glitzy. Additionally, it is most likely the best strategy for something this technically intricate and regionally significant.
Harvesting water from the deep ocean is not a panacea. However, it deserves more attention than it has gotten as a significant addition to the region’s water strategy, based on actual geography and real resource potential.
