Overview

• The Fukuoka District Waterworks Agency said operations began on August 5, with about 880,000 kWh a year routed to a local desalination plant.
• It is the world’s second commercial osmotic installation and the first in Asia, following Denmark’s 2023 plant.
• The system pairs treated wastewater with concentrated desalination brine on opposite sides of semipermeable membranes to drive a turbine.
• Annual output is roughly equivalent to the electricity use of 220 Japanese households, providing round‑the‑clock power for water treatment.
• Experts say scaling remains difficult due to pumping energy and membrane friction losses, though recent advances in membranes and pumps are reducing these hurdles.