JUBAIL — The Saline Water Conversion Corporation has outlined a strategy to overcome water shortage in the Kingdom for the next ten years.

The strategy focuses on expanding the investment base in the water production infrastructure proportional to the rising demand, increasing SWCC’s capability by developing its manpower and research program in addition to increasing private sector participation, Al-Watan said in a report yesterday.

SWCC’s action is prompted by the rising demand for water which increased from 3 billion cubic meters in 1980 to 20 billion cubic meters in 2000. The increase is attributed mainly to rapid development in the industrial and agricultural sectors and to the high rate of population growth. Saudi Arabia’s population grows at a rate of 3.8 percent — one of the highest in the world. 

The corporation has expanded several desalination plants on the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia. They included the expansion of Jubail 2 plant with a desalination capacity of 727,000 cubic meters and Jubail 3 plant’s phase one with a capacity of 272,000 cubic meters. The second phase of the Jubail 3 plant with a capacity of 272,000 cubic meters will satisfy the water requirements of Jubail and the city’s industrial zone. The fourth project is the third phase of the Al-Khafji desalination plant with a capacity of 22,500 cubic meters. The fourth phase of the Alkhobar plant will supply 272,000 cubic meters.

The SWCC has lately commissioned two desalination projects in the region. The first was the third phase of Alkhobar plant which operates with the Shoaibah plant on the Red Sea coast. The plant also generates electricity. The second project is in Jubail with a daily capacity of 78,000 cubic meters. It has been commissioned on an experimental basis.

The third phase of the Alkhobar plant will serve Alkhobar, Dammam, Dhahran, Saihat, Safwa and Ras Tanura and Ahsa. The Jubail plant is expected to pump water to Sidair, Al-Washam and Qassim. The Shoaiba plant on the Red Sea will boost supplies to Makkah, Jeddah and Taif.

The pipeline projects to carry water are also moving forward. The Jubail-Riyadh Line III has reached the stage of trial running.

The Riyadh-Sidair Al-Washm and Qassim lines and the line connecting cities and towns in the Eastern Province is in the third stage while the Shaoibah-Jeddah and Yanbu-Madinah lines are in the second phase. The total length of these pipelines will be 2,000 kilometers. The lines are supported by 11 pumping stations and several reservoirs. Work on these projects is progressing.

When these projects are completed, the SWCC will have 30 huge desalination plants — 24 on the Red Sea coast and six on the Gulf coast. The plants will also generate 34,000 megawatts of electricity. The pipelines will have a total length of 4,000 km with 29 pumping stations and 10 mixing plants while the 164 reservoirs will store a total of 9 million cubic meters of desalinated water.