Saudi Arabia has initiated 26 water, agricultural and environmental projects in the northeast of the country, in the region of Tabuk, reports Trade Arabia.
The new plan is worth over SR2.5 billion (nearly $667 million) and include four desalination plants worth a total of SR1 billion ($266 million), as well as five water transmission systems, also valued at SR1 billion. The launch of the 26 water projects was inaugurated by Prince Fahd bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Tabuk Region, in a ceremony that took place in Tabuk.
The governor also announced during the ceremony, seven projects for developing water resources worth SR100 million and four projects dedicated to water services in the region valued at SR84 million ($22 million).
These projects will be an important expansion for the country’s Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC). Recently, the Corporation had announced it would build six new desalination plants by 2024 in various parts of the country, including in Jubail, Alkhobar, Al Shuqaiq and Al Shoaiba.
Officials from the company revealed that two of these facilities will be launched by the end of the year during the ongoing Innovation Driven Desalination conference in Jeddah.
They also added that Saudi Arabia is now producing more than 7.9 million cubic meters of desalinated water per day (which accounts for nearly 55% of the Gulf region and 22.2% of the global desalination share).
Trade Arabia also reported that the SWCC has signed an agreement with Veolia Water Technologies Saudi Company, a unit of leading French utility major Veolia, in an effort to contribute to the proportion of local content by localising the various desalination industries.
Al Kawthar Manufacturing Company and SWCC have also recently signed a co-operation agreement as part of its efforts to raise the percentage of local content in the desalination industry through the localization of various industries.
"Our engineering cadre draw a map of the future of the ‘desalination industry’, with this global gathering of experts and specialists from the world. We share ideas to turn them into valuable solutions... so that innovation proceeds from the vision of our leadership and our humanitarian mission," said SWCC Governor Abdullah Al Abdul Karim at the Innovation Driven Desalination conference.
