A research cooperation agreement was signed on 30 November 2011 in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, between the Desalination Research Institute, part of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation, and Hitachi Zozen of Japan.
During the 3-year agreement period following the signing, work will be started to develop a way to use solar thermal energy in the operation of desalination plants. Pilot tests will determine optimal design and operating conditions using a pulsed multi-stage design.
The governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation, Fahid bin Fahd Al-Sharif, said that the agreement followed King Abdullah’s desire for more research into the use of renewable energies and SWCC’s objective of increasing production efficiency and effectiveness. This was also behind recent agreements with other educational establishments, he said.