Engineering Science Letter
Vol. 5 No. 01 (2026): In Press - Engineering Science Letter

Techno-Economic Analysis of Small-Scale Reverse Osmosis Desalination for Likupang Tourism Area

Nauli, Maria Anindita (Unknown)
Harwin (Unknown)
Durry, Kezia Rambu (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
03 May 2026

Abstract

Likupang, a Super Priority Tourism Destination in Indonesia, faces significant challenges in securing a reliable and affordable fresh water supply, currently depending on expensive trucked-in water. This study evaluates the techno-economic feasibility of a small-scale Reverse Osmosis (RO) desalination system to address this issue. Using DuPont’s WAVE Water Treatment Design software, three distinct operational scenarios (A = 50, B = 80, and C = 90 m³/day capacities) were designed and simulated to accommodate the fluctuating water demand characteristic of a tourism area. The technical analysis identified the 80 m³/day demand-responsive scenario as the most energy-efficient, with a Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) of 3.73 kWh/m³. Meanwhile, the economic evaluation, based on the Levelized Cost of Water (LCOW), determined that the most cost-effective strategy is Scenario A with an LCOW of 60,766 IDR/m³. This cost is significantly lower than the current market price of trucked-in water, demonstrating that small-scale RO desalination is a viable and economically competitive solution to support sustainable tourism development in Likupang.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

ESL

Publisher

Subject

Computer Science & IT Control & Systems Engineering Engineering Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering Materials Science & Nanotechnology

Description

Engineering Science Letter is an international peer-reviewed letter that welcomes short original research submissions on any branch of engineering, computer science, and technology, as well as their applications in industry, education, health, business, and other fields. Artificial intelligence, ...