Britain’s biggest desalination plant could be built on the Norfolk coast to ease pressure on the region’s water supplies.
Anglian Water wants to create the multi-million pound plant on the coast to convert seawater into drinking water.
It sees the facility as a crucial way for the country to cope with the prospect of future droughts, linked to climate change.
The company is currently drawing up a shortlist of suitable sites in the county – one of the driest in the UK – which should be completed by the end of the year.
Locations which have been considered include Bacton and Caister, but water bosses say they are also considering other Norfolk coastal sites for the shortlist.
Anglian Water wants to start building the site in 2034 with water from the plant available from 2040.
Concerns over water shortages have increased in recent years, following a series of particularly dry summers.
A hosepipe ban remains in place in Norfolk following prolonged drought conditions earlier this year.
Water supplies in Norfolk were thrust sharply under the spotlight when drought was declared in the county this summer.
Anglian Water wants to build two desalination plants - one in Norfolk and one in Lincolnshire - with estimated price tags of at least £700m each.
It has already spent several months looking at potential sites in Norfolk where it can produce between 25 and 84 megalitres of drinking water for people in the county - and beyond - every day.
That process is about to be ramped up, with the shortlist expected within months.
By using technology to remove salt from seawater to make it safe to drink, if constructed at the upper end of the range, the plant would produce enough water to potentially supply up to 700,000 people.
The company previously investigated the possibility of building a plant at Bacton in Norfolk and Mablethorpe in Lincolnshire, but stressed those were picked only for "preliminary costing and environmental assessment".
Anglian Water bosses said they are now carrying out a "robust site selection process" looking at all possible sites along the Norfolk and Lincolnshire coasts, including the Bacton and Mablethorpe ones. A site at Caister-on-Sea was also previously considered.
An Anglian Water spokeswoman said: “Recent extreme weather puts a spotlight on the long-term challenges facing water supply in the East of England.
"That is why we are investing in a range of options to maintain resilient supplies for all Anglian Water customers in the long-term.
“That includes work to consider potential seawater desalination projects along our region’s coastline, in combination with broader actions we’re taking to address future water demand and climate pressures.
“Our desalination projects are currently at an early stage of development and we are continuing to assess potential site locations, including at Bacton in Norfolk, which was identified in our forward-looking Water Resources Management Plan for early-stage modelling.”
The company said it expects to have a shortlist of potential sites for both plants by the end of the year.
The spokeswoman said: "Our site selection process will assess a broader range of sites to ensure the final plant is successful and we expect to identify preferred sites in 2027.
Further consultation and engagement will take place as plans evolve in the coming years."
Earlier this year, Anglian Water awarded a £29m contract to TYPSA-Stantec to develop the new plants.
A future proposal is likely to go through the same contentious planning route as other major Norfolk infrastructure schemes such as the Norwich to Tilbury pylon plans and proposals for huge solar farms.
It would be deemed a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, which would mean the final decision on whether it should happen would rest with the government, after independent scrutiny by the Planning Inspectorate.
How does desalination work?
Desalination involves a process whereby salt and other impurities are removed from seawater so it can be further processed and water made safe to drink.
A pipe would draw water into the desalination plant from the North Sea in a process called abstraction, with protective filters to stop wildlife and large debris entering the system.
Larger materials and particles would be removed from the water first through screening and pre-treatment before the water enters the reverse osmosis process.
That is a process which forces water through a membrane - like a fine mesh - to get rid of salt and other impurities.
The water is then conditioned by adding essential minerals, making it safe and suitable for drinking.
There have been concerns raised about harmful environmental effects due to the huge amount of energy needed to run them and the greenhouse gases they produce.
They also produce a large amount of brine waste, which can be toxic and cause serious pollution if it is not correctly disposed of, according to the United Nations.
But the Environment Agency supports the concept, so long as appropriate permits, environmental protection and mitigation measures are in place.
Does the UK already have them?
More than 150 countries use desalination for water supply, including in the Middle East, Australia and North Africa.
However, there are just three in the British Isles - on the Isles of Scilly, in Jersey, and at Beckton, in east London.
The Beckton one - the Thames Gateway - was built by Thames Water in 2010 at a cost of £270m.
But it has only run a handful of times since then, producing just 7.2 billion litres of drinking water, roughly a week of London’s daily demand.
The utility company said it was hoping to start operating the plant again “by the end of the year”.
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