ENGIE, a global leader in low-carbon energy and services, has entered into a partnership with NEOM, the futuristic sustainable region in northwest Saudi Arabia, to develop advanced solutions for desalination brine valorisation. This international collaboration targets one of the pressing challenges in water sustainability: converting desalination waste into valuable resources in arid environments.
Through a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), ENGIE and NEOM will work together to exchange knowledge, share testing outcomes, and establish pilot projects focused on improving brine management. The initiative will leverage cutting-edge technologies, such as advanced membrane processes and crystallisation systems, to recover useful materials from desalination by-products.
The initiative will leverage cutting-edge technologies, such as advanced membrane processes and crystallisation systems, to recover useful materials from desalination by-products
“Brine management is one of the critical challenges associated with desalination. By working with NEOM, who are ambitious in terms of scale and complexity, we are excited to explore new avenues for sustainable solutions that align with our broader mission of driving the energy transition,” said Olivier Sala, Vice President of Research & Innovation at ENGIE.
Gavin van Tonder, Managing Director of Water at NEOM, emphasised the project's importance: “NEOM is committed to accelerating global progress on sustainable water management. Partnering with ENGIE, we aim to advance necessary technologies that reduce the environmental footprint of desalination while contributing to NEOM’s vision of a sustainable future.”
This collaboration represents a step towards building a sustainable water resource management system, with the potential to scale these solutions to other regions facing similar challenges in water desalination.
