The government has decided to conduct a feasibility study for subsea desalination technology in the Maldives.

An MoU was signed with Norway's FLOCEAN on Sunday to initiate the research and feasibility study.

"This innovative approach aims to enhance the provision of clean water in the Maldives by utilizing natural ocean pressure," the Maldives Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) said in a post on X.

Flocean is a company that deploys innovative subsea reverse osmosis systems. It reduces the energy required to produce water by 50 percent.

MWSC said the initiative aims to explore the integration of this advanced technology into the MWSC water infrastructure "addressing the nation's unique challenges in delivering sustainable potable water."

"It is our hope that subsea desalination can offer sustainable solutions by utilizing natural ocean pressure at depths of 500 meters to purify water," MWSC stated.

MWSC added that the feasibility study will assess the technical, financial and environmental viability of subsea desalination in the Maldives.

"The aim is to develop a scalable model that can enhance the nation's water security with lower energy consumption, reduced cost and less environmental impact."