Saudi Arabia has opened what is described as the Middle East’s largest reverse osmosis (RO) membrane manufacturing facility in Dammam, reports Zawya.
The plant, located in Dammam’s Third Industrial City, represents an investment of approximately 1 billion Saudi riyals ($266 million). It was established through a joint venture between Abunayyan Holding of Saudi Arabia and Japan’s Toray Industries.
The facility has an annual production capacity of about 300,000 RO membranes, which are used in desalination and industrial water treatment applications. It is Toray’s second RO membrane plant outside Japan.
The plant, located in Dammam’s Third Industrial City, represents an investment of approximately 1 billion Saudi riyals ($266 million)
Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Eastern Province, inaugurated the plant during a ceremony attended by Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdullah Al-Abdulkarim, President of the Saudi Water Authority (SWA), and other officials.
The factory is intended to support Saudi Arabia’s efforts to localize components of its desalination sector, which supplies most of the country’s drinking water. Demand in the region for RO membranes is estimated at around 700,000 units annually, according to SWA President Abdullah Al-Abdulkarim.
Al-Abdulkarim stated that the project has reached a localization rate of 70 percent, with expectations to increase this to 75 percent, and will generate more than 175 jobs for Saudi nationals. He also noted that the adoption of energy-efficient desalination technologies has helped reduce carbon emissions by 46 million tonnes per year, saved the equivalent of 147 million barrels of fuel, and contributed financial savings estimated at 14 billion riyals ($3.7 billion) annually.
