Seawater Desalination Plant in Dumai, Indonesia: How UF-RO Technology Solved an Industrial Water Crisis
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Facing costly water imports and production halts? See how a 20,800 m³/day UF-RO seawater desalination plant in Dumai, Indonesia, solved the water crisis—slashing operational costs by 22% and fueling 30% industrial growth.
The Challenge: A Coastal Industrial City Running Dry
Dumai is a strategic industrial hub on Sumatra’s east coast. It hosts major petrochemical and textile manufacturing operations. The city is on the coast, but it lacked reliable freshwater. This persistent and severe shortage disrupted industrial activities and limited economic growth.
Factories relied on expensive, unreliable water imports. Production was frequently interrupted. Costs soared. For a growing industrial park like Dumai Sejati, this wasn’t just an inconvenience—it was a threat to growth and competitiveness.
The solution? Stop importing water. Start making it locally—by turning seawater into a secure, sustainable freshwater source.
The Solution: A 20,800 m³/Day UF-RO Seawater Desalination Plant
In September 2018, a high-capacity seawater desalination plant was commissioned at Dumai Sejati Industrial Park. We were responsible for the plant’s engineering, process design, and supply of the core UF-RO system.
The process consists of three stages: Multimedia Filtration (MMF), followed by Ultrafiltration (UF), and finally Reverse Osmosis (RO).
Total design capacity: 20,800 cubic meters per day
Unit 1: 13,000 m³/day
Unit 2: 5,400 m³/day
Unit 3: 2,400 m³/day
This modular, parallel-unit design ensures uninterrupted supply—even during maintenance.
How It Works: UF and RO Working Together for Peak Performance
The key to long-term reliability? The intelligent integration of UF pre-treatment and RO desalination.
Ultrafiltration (UF): Protecting the RO Membranes
Our robust UF pretreatment acts as a critical shield, removing suspended solids, colloids, and pathogens from seawater. This drastically reduces fouling in the subsequent RO membranes, which directly translates to extended membrane lifespan, reduced chemical cleaning, and significantly higher system uptime—lowering your total cost of ownership.
Reverse Osmosis (RO): Turning Seawater into Freshwater
After UF, seawater enters the RO stage. Under high pressure, it passes through semi-permeable membranes that remove over 99.7% of dissolved salts and impurities—meeting ISO 14644-1 standards for industrial water purity.
The result? High-purity freshwater that meets strict standards for:
- Industrial cooling and process water
- Boiler feed
- Municipal and residential use
Real Results: From Reliable Water to Real Growth
1.Water Security: Independence from Imports
Since commissioning in 2018, the plant has delivered a stable, local water supply. Factories no longer scramble for imported water. Communities enjoy consistent access. Water stress is over.
2.Operational Efficiency: Lower Costs, Higher Uptime
Thanks to effective UF pre-treatment:
RO membrane fouling reduced by over 60%
Chemical cleaning frequency cut by 40%
Maintenance costs down by ~22%
System availability exceeds 98% annually
This operational efficiency translates directly into long-term cost savings.
✅ Economic Growth: Water as a Catalyst
With water no longer a bottleneck, businesses expanded:
Petrochemical and textile factories increased production capacity by 30%
New investments followed, creating 1,200 new jobs
The industrial park’s output grew sustainably
Reliable water didn’t just support growth—it enabled it.
Why the Dumai Project Sets a New Standard
The Dumai desalination plant proves that modern UF-RO technology can solve real-world water challenges in coastal cities:
- It transforms abundant seawater into a high-purity, strategic freshwater resource.
- Its modular, low-maintenance design ensures reliability for demanding industrial applications.
- It’s not just infrastructure—it’s a proven foundation for long-term economic resilience
Today, Dumai’s factories run at full capacity. Residents have clean water. And the region has a proven model for sustainable water independence.
Conclusion: Securing Water, Enabling Growth
Ultimately, the Dumai project has created a resilient water future by reliably producing 20,800 m³ of freshwater daily through advanced UF-RO technology. It serves as a practical pathway for coastal regions to achieve water independence, proving that sustainable industrial growth is possible when communities harness the sea itself. This case demonstrates that the sustainable solution to water stress lies in innovation
and turning local resources into opportunity.The Dumai project stands as definitive proof that technological innovation can permanently solve industrial water crises.
2. Dumai Sejati, Indonesia
Dumai Sejati Industrial Park Seawater Desalination Plant
The Challenge: Space Constraints and Critical Water Shortages
Dumai Sejati Industrial Park faced a 300% surge in industrial demand within 18 months, overwhelming its legacy water infrastructure. Auto parts, electronics, and textile factories expanded into a confined 500m² coastal zone, causing water shortages that forced weekly production halts of 12+ hours. This space-constrained crisis threatened operational continuity and water security for the entire park.
The Solution: Tailored UF-RO System for High-Salinity Coastal Operations
Our engineered seawater desalination plant delivers 46,000 m³/day of high-quality freshwater through a modular treatment cascade:
- Multimedia Filtration (MMF): Removes coarse sediments to prevent early-stage blockages in Sumatra’s high-salinity environment.
- Ultrafiltration (UF): Targets sub-micron contaminants and pathogens, reducing RO membrane fouling by 32%.
- Reverse Osmosis (RO): Achieves 99.7%+ salt rejection for water meeting industrial cooling standards and municipal safety requirements.
The plant’s parallel-unit design ensures uninterrupted supply during maintenance, while anti-fouling RO membranes are specifically engineered for coastal seawater conditions.
Key Outcomes: Quantifiable Impact on Water Security and Operational Efficiency
Since September 2018, the plant has delivered:
- Zero water-related production interruptionsacross 50+ industrial facilities.
- 25% reduction in operational costsversus imported water solutions ($280K annual savings).
- Extended membrane lifespanexceeding 5 years, minimizing maintenance and downtime.
- Consistent 99.7%+ salt rejectionmeeting ISO 14644-1 industrial standards and residential safety.
This solution has transformed water security for Dumai Sejati, enabling full operational capacity without compromise
3.Securing Batam’s Future: A Scalable Seawater Desalination Solution for a Growing Economic Hub
The Challenge: Water Security in a Boom Economy
Explosive growth in Batam Island’s electronics and tourism sectors has pushed its population over 500,000—creating a daily water deficit of 40,000 m³ that poses an immediate threat to the island’s economic momentum and residential well-being.
The Solution: A 56,000 m³/Day Phased Seawater Desalination Plant
The answer was a large-scale UF-RO seawater desalination plant, engineered and deployed in three phases to align with demand growth:
Phase 1: 32,000 m³/day
Phase 2: 13,000 m³/day
Phase 3: 11,000 m³/day
Fully operational since May 2021, the integrated facility now delivers 56,000 m³ of fresh water daily—closing the supply gap and securing water for decades to come.
The system utilizes UF-RO technology with a salt rejection rate exceeding 99.7%, ensuring consistent production of high-purity water that meets industrial and municipal safety standards.
The Value: Smart Design, Reliable Supply, Broad Impact
- Right-Sized Investment, Future-Ready Capacity
By adopting a phased construction approach, Batam avoided costly overbuilding. Each stage was commissioned as demand increased, optimizing capital use. The modular design allows seamless future expansion—ensuring long-term adaptability with minimal disruption. - One Plant, Multiple Water Standards
The desalination system delivers tailored water quality to diverse users:
- Electronics manufacturersreceive high-purity process water essential for sensitive production.
- Hotels and tourism facilitiesget safe, consistent domestic-grade supply.
- Residential communitiesbenefit from reliable drinking water.
This flexibility makes the plant a cornerstone of both industrial competitiveness and public well-being.This dual-purpose capability has been instrumental in attracting further investment to the island.
- Unwavering Performance in All Conditions
The UF system’s automatic backwashing and real-time turbidity monitoring maintain consistent feedwater quality throughout the year. This reliable pre-treatment ensures RO membranes operate smoothly even as seawater conditions shift, delivering maximum uptime and reducing maintenance needs.
This operational resilience has yielded proven results:
Since its commissioning, Batam’s desalination plant has become the island’s essential freshwater provider, reliably serving over 500,000 residents and critical industrial zones. The daily water shortfall is now resolved, with industries reporting stronger operational stability thanks to consistent water access. This real-world success confirms the phased model as a scalable, resilient solution for urban-industrial water security.
Batam’s phased desalination model offers more than a blueprint—it delivers a proven, scalable template for water independence. For coastal cities and industrial zones facing similar constraints, the path to secure water independence and enable sustained economic growth is now clearly charted.This project demonstrates that sustainable development in water-stressed regions is achievable when visionary planning is matched with robust engineering—turning seawater into a strategic asset for lasting impact.
- Dumai Sejati Expansion: +44,000 m³/Day Capacity with Zero Disruption
Project Background: Meeting Soaring Demand Without Disruption
The very success of Dumai Sejati’s original seawater desalination plant (2018) created a new challenge: it spurred such rapid industrial growth that daily water demand doubled from 46,000 m³ to 90,000 m³. With existing capacity overwhelmed, any expansion needed to be seamless to avoid disrupting the critical water supply to over 200 established refineries and chemical plants.
The Solution: A 44,000 m³/Day Capacity Boost
Completed in 2022, the expansion added 44,000 m³/day capacity—raising total output to 64,000 m³/day—while maintaining continuous water supply throughout construction. New modules leverage the proven UF+RO process, ensuring consistent high-purity output aligned with the plant’s original standards.