SWA assigns management of water desalination plants to Al Holol Water

The signing of the agreement

Water Desalination, the operational arm of the Saudi Water Authority (SWA), signed an agreement with Al Holol Water Desalination Co. to transfer the management and supervision of desalination plants that use groundwater and surface water sources.

SWA said the agreement is part of the phased transfer of management and supervisory responsibilities under the institutional restructuring of the water sector, which separates the roles of production, distribution, and regulation in line with the National Water Strategy 2030.

The restructuring is intended to enable each entity to focus on its core mandate while improving asset management and spending efficiency.

Under the agreement, Al Holol Water will manage the plants and oversee their operation and maintenance, while SWA's national workforce will continue carrying out operational and maintenance activities to preserve expertise and further develop Saudi technical capabilities.

The authority said the arrangement is expected to improve asset management efficiency and enhance the reliability of water supplies.

Over the past two years, Water Desalination has increased the combined production capacity of more than 400 plants by over 1.5 million cubic meters per day, bringing total capacity to more than 4 million cubic meters per day.

The increase followed upgrades to assets, operations and maintenance processes, as well as quality monitoring systems.

SWA said the plants produce water that meets approved quality standards, while their geographic distribution across the Kingdom complements seawater desalination capacity, diversifies water supply sources, improves system flexibility in meeting demand and supports supply continuity under various operating conditions.