Home » Saudi Arabia Announces 60 Water Projects Worth SR35bln at MENA Desalination Projects Forum 2022
Saudi Arabia announced more than 60 water projects, worth SR35 billion (US$9.33 billion), that will cement the Kingdom’s position as the world’s largest water desalination market, a top official told delegates at the 3rd MENA Desalination Projects Forum 2022 that got underway at the Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers Hotel.
“Saudi Arabia has been increasing its investment in clean energy, power and water. In the water sector, we have integrated the water desalination and wastewater treatment and have been expanding our capacities across the industry,” Engineer Khaled Al Qureshi, Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC), said in his keynote address.
“We have been increasing the number of water projects over the last few years. In 2020, our organisation approved 11 Independent Water Projects (IWPs) and 9 Independent Sewage Treatment Projects (ISTPs), while last year we approved 8 IWPPS, 14 Independent Strategic Water Reservoir (ISWR) projects and 7 Small Sewerage Treatment Plant (SSTP) project clusters.
“However, I am happy to announce that this year, we have approved more than 60 water and sewerage projects, worth more than SR35 billion, that will increase water desalination capacity as well as increase strategic water reserves and the capacity to treat more wastewater in the coming years.”
Once completed, these projects will increase the desalination capacity to 7.5 million cubic metres of water per day by 2027, from 2.54 cubic metres per day in 2021 – nearly tripling the capacity in just six years.
Saudi Arabia’s National Water Strategy published in 2018, adopted a sustainable approach to the water sector, committing to safeguarding the natural resources and the environment of the Kingdom and providing cost-effective supply and high-quality services
“We are developing strategic water reserves that should supply enough water to Saudi consumers in case of emergency. By 2029, we plan to raise the capacity to hold 45.7 million cubic metres of water – that will serve the entire country for a few days, if the water supply stops for some reason, he said.
“We are developing a network of 147 SSTPs with 14,925 kilometres of wastewater collection network that will recycle a large amount of wastewater across the country.”
SWPC, one of the leaders in public-private partnership projects in the GCC, has successfully achieved financial close of US$2.5 billion (SR9.4 billion) during the last two years.
Saudi Arabia’s population is expected to grow from 35 million in 2021 to around 40 million by 2026. This growth in the population will put pressure on basic infrastructure. Being an arid country, Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in its water infrastructure.
There are more than $5.5 billion of water projects currently under construction. Saudi Arabia has adopted Public-Private-Partnerships as a procurement strategy, with 70 per cent of its water processing infrastructure projects procured on this basis.
Investment in the desalination projects in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has increased substantially in recent years and accounts 48 percent of global desalination projects, with further investments expected to spur the market to $4.3 billion by 2022, according to the MENA Desalination Market report by Ventures Onsite, which tracks construction projects in the region.
Seawater desalination now contributes to more than 90 percent of all daily water requirements in the GCC region, according to a report. Desalination capacity of GCC countries is expected to grow further by approximately 37 percent during the next five years, with investments of up to $100 billion, according to reports. The global desalination market is predicted to grow from $17.7 billion in 2020 to $32.1 billion by 2027.
The news comes as 3rd MENA Desalination Projects Forum takes off today at the Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers Hotel, UAE, that examines the depth of the situation in water scarcity and desalination projects and discuss way forward – in line with the climate change target and reduction in emissions by 2030 and 2050.
More than 150 C-Suite Executives (CEOs and MDs) including more than 30 speakers, panelists are participating at the conference and exhibition where more than 30 exhibitors and sponsors display the latest innovation and technologies at the two-day event.
The MENA region contains more than 6.3 percent of the world’s population, but less than 1 percent of global water resources. Making up the predicted MENA water deficit in 2025 will require the production of an additional 237 billion cubic metres of potable water. By 2050, water scarcity could cost MENA between 6-14 percent of the entire region’s GDP each year.
In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) has announced that commercial operations on the Jubail 3A independent water producer (IWP) project will commence in the last quarter of 2022.
Countries within the MENA region will add an estimated 20GW of solar capacity and 5-6GW of wind by 2025. The global desalination market is predicted to grow from $17.7 billion in 2020 to $32.1 billion by 2027.
Leila Masinaei, Managing Partner, Great Mind Events Management and organizer of the 3rd MENA Desalination Projects Forum, says, “The depth of the water scarcity is getting from bad to worse. The governments of the MENA countries are seeking alternative ways to generate clean water, without harming the environment. Although there are new sustainable sources of generating water, such as from air, desalination still now remains one of the most viable sources to feed large communities. That way, the Middle East Desalination Projects Forum is one of the most important industry conferences that highlights the challenges as well as opportunities.
“We are happy to curate such an important industry conference and bring all the major stakeholders in this important event where senior government officials, private businesses, contracting companies, project consultants and water experts will discuss key issues such as new technology, reducing the cost of desalination, sustainability and energy efficiency at the two-day conference.
“Great Minds Event Management brings some of the strategically important industry events that are crucial for the future development of economy and society of the MENA region.”
Exhibitors, partners and sponsors were seen networking with key government utilities to participate in the new projects, which is going to help the industry expand in the next few years.
Rory Weaver, Marketing Director, FEDCO, said, “The Middle East is leading the way for the desalination industry in delivering larger projects than ever, at water tariffs that were unimaginable just a few years ago. The MENA Desal Forum is a crucial space to share the expertise and experience necessary to drive further innovation for the industry.”
The 3rd MENA Desalination Projects Forum is supported by Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure – UAE, Department of Energy – Abu Dhabi, Saudi Water Partnership Company – KSA, Saudi Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) – KSA, Water Authority of Jordan, Emirates Water and Electricity Co (EWEC) – Abu Dhabi, Moroccan National Company of Drinking Water and Sanitation, RAK Municipality, Palestinian Water Authority, Water Alliance, International Water Management Institute, Sustainable Water Power Consultants, among others.
MEA Markets is happy to announce that the MEA Business Awards are returning for the sixth consecutive year! This established awards programme identifies those individuals and companies who excel in their respective industries, encompassing the entirety of the Middle East and Africa in our search to highlight the firms that go above and beyond to establish themselves as business leaders.
Visit our awards hereMEA Markets is very proud to host the UAE Business Awards 2023 for its seventh instalment! This awards programme aims to reward a vastly diverse range of hardworking businesses from across the United Arab Emirates region, who are demonstrating innovation and excellence throughout a turbulent economic climate many firms are suffering through.
Visit our awards hereFor the past five years the African Excellence Awards have recognised the very best of African Industry, and MEA Markets is excited to announce that this respected programme will be returning for its sixth edition in 2023! The African Excellence Awards are an essential guide to the key sectors driving growth throughout the continent, rewarding those outstanding companies and individuals whose entrepreneurship has strengthened Africa’s position as the next global economic powerhouse.
Visit our awards hereWe have packages to suit everyone. Let us help work out which one would suit your needs!
Ground Floor, Suite B-D,
The Maltsters, Wetmore Road,
Burton-on-trent, Staffordshire,
DE14 1LS
MEA Markets is a quarterly publication dedicated to researching and publicising the major moves and events as they happen across the entire Middle East & Africa region.
Our team of highly trained and committed journalists, contributors, researchers and worldwide industry insiders are on hand to ensure that our global readership enjoys 24/7 access to timely and entertaining content that keeps them up to date with the ins and outs of this fast moving region.
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
cf_use_ob | past | Cloudflare sets this cookie to improve page load times and to disallow any security restrictions based on the visitor's IP address. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement | 1 year | Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category . |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
CookieLawInfoConsent | 1 year | Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. |
PHPSESSID | session | This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed. |
viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
na_id | 1 year 1 month | The na_id is set by AddThis to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. |
na_rn | 1 month | The na_rn cookie is used to recognize the visitor upon re-entry. It allows to record details on user behaviour and facilitate the social sharing function provided by Addthis.com. |
na_sc_e | 1 month | The na_sc_e cookie is used to recognize the visitor upon re-entry. It allows to record details on user behaviour and facilitate the social sharing function provided by Addthis.com. |
na_sr | 1 month | The na_sr cookie is used to recognize the visitor upon re-entry. It allows to record details on user behaviour and facilitate the social sharing function provided by Addthis.com. |
na_srp | 1 minute | The na_srp cookie is used to recognize the visitor upon re-entry. It allows to record details on user behaviour and facilitate the social sharing function provided by Addthis.com. |
na_tc | 1 year 1 month | The na_tc cookie is used to recognize the visitor upon re-entry. It allows to record details on user behaviour and facilitate the social sharing function provided by Addthis.com. |
ouid | 1 year 1 month | Associated with the AddThis widget, this cookie helps users to share content across various networking and sharing forums. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
d | 3 months | Quantserve sets this cookie to anonymously track information on how visitors use the website. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
__gads | 1 year 24 days | The __gads cookie, set by Google, is stored under DoubleClick domain and tracks the number of times users see an advert, measures the success of the campaign and calculates its revenue. This cookie can only be read from the domain they are set on and will not track any data while browsing through other sites. |
_ga | 2 years | The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors. |
_ga_21JSMT0NZV | 2 years | This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. |
_ga_7GTFNZD3Y9 | 2 years | This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. |
_gat_gtag_UA_63302014_1 | 1 minute | Set by Google to distinguish users. |
_gat_gtag_UA_67421741_1 | 1 minute | Set by Google to distinguish users. |
_gid | 1 day | Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously. |
aigm_tracking_consent | 1 year | Created by Monster Tracking v2 for internal tracking/fingerprinting - determines whether the user has consented to being tracked by allowing cookies. |
aigm_tracking_id | 1 year | Created by Monster Tracking v2 for internal tracking/fingerprinting - contains the consent ID number of the user. |
ANON_ID | 3 months | This cookie, set by Tribal Fusion, collects data on user visits to the website, such as what pages have been accessed . |
u | 1 year | This cookie is used by Bombora to collect information that is used either in aggregate form, to help understand how websites are being used or how effective marketing campaigns are, or to help customize the websites for visitors. |
uid | 1 year 1 month | This is a Google UserID cookie that tracks users across various website segments. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
_rxuuid | 1 year | Unruly Media sets this cookie to store information on how the end user uses the website and any advertising that the end user may have seen before visiting the said website. |
ab | 1 year | Owned by agkn, this cookie is used for targeting and advertising purposes. |
ANON_ID_old | 3 months | This cookie helps to categorise the users interest and to create profiles in terms of resales of targeted marketing. This cookie is used to collect user information such as what pages have been viewed on the website for creating profiles. |
CMID | 1 year | Casale Media sets this cookie to collect information on user behavior, for targeted advertising. |
CMPRO | 3 months | CMPRO cookie is set by CasaleMedia for anonymous user tracking, and for targeted advertising. |
CMPS | 3 months | CMPS cookie is set by CasaleMedia for anonymous user tracking based on user's website visits, for displaying targeted ads. |
DSID | 1 hour | This cookie is set by DoubleClick to note the user's specific user identity. It contains a hashed/encrypted unique ID. |
IDE | 1 year 24 days | Google DoubleClick IDE cookies are used to store information about how the user uses the website to present them with relevant ads and according to the user profile. |
KADUSERCOOKIE | 3 months | The cookie, set by PubMatic, registers a unique ID that identifies a returning user's device across websites that use the same ad network. The ID is used for targeted ads. |
KTPCACOOKIE | 1 day | The cookie, set by PubMatic, registers a unique ID that identifies a returning user's device across websites that use the same ad network. The ID is used for targeted ads. |
ljt_reader | 1 year | This is a Lijit Advertising Platform cookie used for recognizing the browser or device when users return to their site or one of their partner's sites. |
mc | 1 year 1 month | Quantserve sets the mc cookie to anonymously track user behaviour on the website. |
mt_mop | 1 month | MediaMath uses this cookie to synchronize the visitor ID with a limited number of trusted exchanges and data partners. |
pxrc | 2 months | This cookie is set by pippio to provide users with relevant advertisements and limit the number of ads displayed. |
rlas3 | 1 year | RLCDN sets this cookie to provide users with relevant advertisements and limit the number of ads displayed. |
suid_legacy | 1 year | Collects information on user preferences and interaction with web-campaign content which is used on CRM-campaign-platforms used by website owners for promoting events or products. |
test_cookie | 15 minutes | The test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies. |
tuuid | 3 months | The tuuid cookie, set by BidSwitch, stores an unique ID to determine what adverts the users have seen if they have visited any of the advertiser's websites. The information is used to decide when and how often users will see a certain banner. |
tuuid_lu | 3 months | This cookie, set by BidSwitch, stores a unique ID to determine what adverts the users have seen while visiting an advertiser's website. This information is then used to understand when and how often users will see a certain banner. |
uuid | 3 months | MediaMath sets this cookie to avoid the same ads from being shown repeatedly and for relevant advertising. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
b | 1 year | No description |
CMTS | 3 months | No description |
cookietest | session | No description |
GoogleAdServingTest | session | No description |
suid | 1 year | No description |