Saudi Arabia’s Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) upped its desalinated water output during the past last year by 10% on the previous year to more than 1.1 billion m³ .
Minister of Water and Electricity and chairman of the SWCC Abdullah Al-Hussayyen said in his foreword to the corporation’s annual report that the start of production at the first phase of the Ras Al-Khair plant would strengthen the corporation’s ability to cover drinking water needs of all regions of the Kingdom.
Al-Hussayyen praised the rapid development in the desalination industry which he attributed to unlimited support by the government. The minister went to say the implementation of scientific and technical developments and investment by Jubail Institute for Research and Desalination Technologies also played a significant part in the Saudi industry’s development.
SWCC governor, Abdul Rahman Al-Ibrahim, said the volume of desalinated water pumped from the eastern province stations totalled 550.1 million m³, and formed 49.7% of the total output, supplying the eastern region, Riyadh, Qassim, Sudair and Washem provinces.
In the western region, the SWCC produced 557.5 million m³ and represented 50.3% of the total. Areas it supplied included Makkah, Jeddah and Madinah.