MEWA targets 16.2M CMD of desalinated water: Official

Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) headquarters

The production capacity of desalination plants in Saudi Arabia currently stands at 9.4 million cubic meters per day (CMD), Saud Al-Murshed, Director of Planning, Deputy Ministry for Water at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), said. The ministry targets reaching 16.2 million CMD of desalinated water.

The Kingdom has successfully built a massive geospatial database that includes technical and spatial specifications for all assets in water supply areas. Work is underway to apply modern technologies, artificial intelligence, and automate management and planning processes, according to a ministry statement received by Argaam.

Al-Murshed added that the current length of desalinated water transmission lines in the Kingdom is 14,000 kilometers, with a target to reach 18,000 kilometers. The current capacity of distribution networks is 78%, with an aim to reach 100% to cover the population by 2030. Moreover, the current storage capacity exceeded 24 million cubic meters in 2023, and the Kingdom targets 120 million cubic meters by 2030.

Excellence in the Kingdom's water supply systems has enabled it to deliver desalinated water to all population clusters in the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia advanced in the field of water reuse by employing the latest technologies and applying the best global standards and practices, aiming to build reuse transmission networks with pipeline lengths exceeding 5,000 kilometers, he concluded.