Desalinated Seawater Primary Source of Water Supply in Middle East

To meet rising demand for desalinated water, the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) commissioned construction of new desalination plants at six locations on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Coast.

SWCC selected Black & Veatch to carry out engineering studies and preparation of engineering, procurement and construction tender documents for the six new desalination plants, as well as associated water transmission systems at two of the plants. The locations of the seawater desalination plants are Al Wajh, Umm Lujj, Rabigh, Qunfuda, Al-Lith and Farasan.

Water transmission systems were provided to transfer a part of the water production from Rabigh plant to Masturah, Thual and Aziza; and from Qunfuda plant to Al Qawz Hali.

With a combined total water production capacity of 66,000m3/day, the project has helped fulfil a critical need in meeting the country’s requirements for desalinated water.