The use of saline water for hydrofracturing can be a game changer for coastal regions with shale gas reserves, scarce fresh water resources, and food sovereignty concerns. An integrated public-private partnership strategy would include new desalination facilities to produce fresh water for potable and agricultural use, transfer of the waste desalination brine (2X saltier than seawater) via new pipeline infrastructure for shale hydrofracturing, and transferring a portion of the shale gas produced back to the desalination plant via the brine pipeline right-of-way to meet desalination and brine pumping energy needs.

Because most hydrofracturing water is permanently retained in the formation from which gas is displaced, using desalination brine for hydrofracturing is a more environmentally benign solution than disposal via discharge back to the sea. In addition to desalination brine, wastewater from hydrofracturing, called flowback, would be recycled within the shale gas production region for hydrofracturing fluid use in subsequent wells (as is currently the case for >90% of such wastewater in the Marcellus region in the US). Shortfalls in hydrofracturing fluid demand could be met by adding supplemental seawater to the brine transfer pipeline.

An integrated seawater desalination+regional hydrofracturing strategy would also create unique economic synergies worth noting. Energy demand for local desalination would mitigate market price risk for local gas producers who would also be assured of long term water supply for hydrofracturing under an integrated energy-water exchange agreement.

There is much discussion these days of the “food-energy-water nexus” and how new ideas are necessary to solve the water, energy, and food challenges of growing populations in arid regions. Perhaps to the surprise of many, the latest technology advances that allow the use of hyper saline water to meet the water needs of hydrofracturing might enable new water, energy, and food management strategies for arid coastal regions that have shale gas and oil potential.