Oct 09, 2025

Flocean Subsea Desalination Plant

Making fresh water, efficiently

Joe Mullich

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Courtesy Flocean

Norwegian startup Flocean is diving deeper for an energy efficient desalination solution: By operating 400-600 meters below the ocean surface (deeper than most skyscrapers are tall), its systems harness natural water pressure to nearly halve the power consumption of land plants. "Instead of noisy, energy-hungry, polluting coastal plants, desalination becomes quiet pods resting on the seabed," says CEO Alexander Fuglesang. Each pod produces fresh water for about 37,500 people daily. With the world's first commercial plant launching off Norway's coast in 2026, Fuglesang envisions a future "where water security is an engineering choice, not a diplomatic vulnerability."

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