Al-Fadli signs deal to set up 3 floating desal plants

The Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) announced on Wednesday that it has signed an agreement with an international company to provide 150,000 cubic meters of potable desalinated water daily via three floating desalination plants set up on barges, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Wednesday.

Each floating desalination plant has a production capacity of 50,000 cubic meters of desalinated water daily. These barges are set to be stationed opposite Al-Shaqeeq desalination plants so as to feed the SWCC tanks with desalinated water.

The Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and Chairman of SWCC Eng. Abdulrahman Al-Fadli, after signing the agreement, said, it will be possible to take advantage of the SWCC experience in Reverse Osmosis (RO) energy saving technologies.

It will also be possible to move and station these barges at any of the RO desalination plants in all regions of the Kingdom in order to deal with any emergencies in the production of desalinated water.

This agreement will continue for 20 years and the daily supply of desalinated water ought to meet the required standards and specifications.

Al-Fadli said the signing of this agreement is in implementation of the royal order in this regard and the direct, generous support from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, who has issued directives to allocate the amounts to secure desalinated water from the floating mobile desalination plants to meet the increasing demand for desalinated water in the Kingdom.

These floating desalination plants are set to come into service within less than 15 months. In the initial stage, they will provide Jazan and Asir provinces with desalinated water. Then they can be stationed in any other region due to the ease of transporting them between coastal areas of the Kingdom, in order to benefit from them, Al-Fadli said.

The floating desalination plants come within six desalination plant projects being constructed; 10 mega water storage and transportation systems being constructed by SWCC, apart from the corporation’s continuous works in the operation and maintenance of 31 operating desalination plants, he said.

The Kingdom’s daily production of desalinated water exceeds 7 million cubic meters. Of this quantity, SWCC produces 5.2 million cubic meters daily. This has made the Kingdom the top producer of desalinated water in the world.

In addition, the Saudi research centers specializing in desalination are well known for their distinctive work — foremost of which is the Center for Desalination Research and Technologies belonging to the SWCC. This center has played a prominent role in successively raising efficiency and production of desalinated seawater, he added.

He prayed to Almighty Allah to reward the King and Crown Prince for leaving no stone unturned in providing for the citizens’ needs and generously supporting the water sector.