Global water scarcity is on the rise, with a rapidly increasing world population and hyper accelerated climate change; water stress has grown tremendously across the planet. As global water scarcity grows, over 35% of the population doesn’t have access to clean water. Of the global water supply only 0.5% is fit for human consumption, as the population grows the need for desalination has grown ten-fold over the last few decades. The global water desalination market is set to rise to $40.3 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of over 9.12% during this period.

Water scarcity in the MENA region is among the highest across the globe; with massive economic growth the need for safe and clean water is increasing rapidly. Countries across the region are spending millions of dollars on setting up desalination plants. As one of the fastest progressing countries in the region, KSA is leading in terms of developing desalination plants. With Saudi relying on desalinated water to meet over 70% of its overall requirements, the need for desalination plants is immense. The kingdom has announced major desalination projects valued at over $1.3 billion in the Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia’s National Water Company (NWC) has launched its ambitious infrastructure projects, unveiling 12 significant desalination plants across strategic areas like Dammam, Al Khobar, Jubail, Al Ahsa and Qatif. The NWC will undertake construction of 40 water tanks with a collective capacity of 1.6 million cubic meters, the project will include establishment of several pumping stations and laying of 493 KMS of strategic pipelines which will ensure uninterrupted water supply to the above-mentioned areas.

We are delighted to announce the Saudi Desalination & Water Innovation Summit scheduled for 14 - 15 April 2025 in Riyadh. The conference will gather regional and local trailblazers from across governments, consultants, contractors, technology providers etc. The conference will host several interesting discussions around upcoming mega projects, national economic and sustainability visions in the Kingdom.