Economic evaluation of Qeshm island MED-desalination plant coupling with different energy sources including fossils and nuclear power plants

Abstract The coupling of the Qeshm island desalination plant with different energy sources was economically evaluated by using a Desalination Economic Evaluation Program (DEEP) package. The capacity of this plant was 18,000 m3/day and its energy source was 250 MW (th) gas power plant. Six energy source plants, namely, coal, oil, gas, combined cycle (CC), pressurized water reactor (PWR), and pebble-bed modular reactor (PBMR), were coupled with this desalination plant. The estimated annual electrical costs indicated that the optimum fossil power plant was CC with 97.72 $/kWh, which was 30% higher than 67.42 and 64.63 $/kWh in PWR and PBMR power plants, respectively. The total annual water costs and the total annual costs of coupling with the desalination plant of CC, PWR, and PMMR plants were approximately 1.78, 1.49, and 0.77 $/m3, and 94.74, 49.23, and 49.1 m$, respectively. The construction costs of these power plants are approximately 131, 510 and 553 M$, respectively, On the basis of the contraction times, costs, and lifetimes of these power plants 25, 40 and 60 years for CC, PBMR and PWR, we concluded that CC, PBMR and PWR are short-term, medium-term and long-term strategy to generate electricity and couple with desalination plants, respectively.