Desalination supply chain decision analysis and optimization

• The desalination supply chain strategic and operational considerations were modeled.
• A systematic decision making process for large-scale investments was proposed.
• A formal optimization model considering quantitative and qualitative decision metrics.
• A real world case and GIS visualization exemplify the use of the proposed methodology.

The desalination industry has been growing progressively in the last few decades. A large number of new plants are contracted every year. Strategic decisions related to plant locations and capacity, the selection of the desalination technology, and many other technical decisions related to the plant design and operation are very critical to these strategic investments. Viewing the desalination industry network as a supply chain provides a holistic view allowing decision makers to perform optimization of water desalination operations end to end. The methodology we propose provides the decision makers with (1) a set of investment alternatives comprising combinations of the different desalination locations, capacities, technologies, and energy sources, and (2) a decision graph showing the performance of each decision alternative in terms of quantitative and qualitative performance metrics chosen by the decision maker. The case study of Saudi Arabia, the world leader in desalination, shows how the methodology can present strategic planners with an optimal configuration of the desalination supply chain.