In August 2017, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House) reported that the state-owned firm China National Nuclear Power (CNNP) had set up a joint venture to build floating nuclear plants combined with seawater desalination. Partners included the power groups Zhejiang Zheneng and Shanghai Electric, the Jiangnan yard and Shanghai Guosheng. Based in Shanghai with US$150 million in capital, the company planned an initial run of 20 shipyard-built units and intended to sell both electricity and drinking water. Target markets included land-scarce countries with high demand, Bangladesh among them.
The report showed China treating desalination as part of an export offer for offshore nuclear power, relying on serial shipyard production rather than one-off plants on land.