Several Japanese companies have signed up to provide desalination technology and commercialisation expertise to Saudi Arabia, reports Asian Review.
Materials manufacturer Toyobo will develop water treatment membranes, and JFE Engineering will develop desalination systems, and the two will work jointly on projects. Sasakura Engineering, and other companies, will help to commercialise desalination plants.
The agreements are among 20 memorandums of understanding signed by Japanese companies during a state visit to Japan by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman in March 2017.
Separately, Saudi is to offer technical expertise in desalination to Sri Lanka, including a visit to the plant at Jubail, reports Arab News. Sri Lanka has put out tenders on a desalination project in Jaffna, in the north, and wants to develop further projects in dry places like Hambantota and Kalpitiya. The Saudi Fund for Development has previously provided loans for infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka.