The 11th Saudi Water & Electricity Forum (SWEF) will discuss various issues relating to the water and electricity sectors, in Riyadh from Feb. 7-9.

“This forum will be a platform to present and discuss issues and challenges facing the Kingdom’s water and electricity sectors,” Minister of Water & Electricity Abdullah A. Al-Hussayen, who supports the event, said in a statement on Monday.

Hoping for solutions to the challenges facing the water and electricity sectors, Al-Hussayen said that the SWEF is also an opportunity to keep abreast of the latest technology.

“We also hope to come up with recommendations, including innovative solutions that address the water and electricity problems in Saudi Arabia,” he added.

The forum will also discuss strategies to manage underground water which is non-renewable, Al-Hussayen said.

Addressing a press conference, Deputy Minister of Electricity Saleh Alawaji said that the forum is the Kingdom’s premier strategic meeting of government officials and players in the water and electricity sectors. He is the forum’s steering committee chairman.

He said that issues about the two sectors will be taken up, including problems that call for urgent and practical solutions to ensure water and electricity availability.

Alawaji, also the board chairman of the Saudi Electricity Company, noted that the water and electricity sectors in the Kingdom “are both attractive and have received increased government investment year on year.”

He said that the electricity sector has witnessed an increase in demand by 8 percent over the last decade with projects being developed or needing to be developed urgently.

Mohammed Al-Saud, deputy minister of water, said the Kingdom is the third largest consumer of water and the largest producer of desalinated water in the world. “The

Kingdom also boasts an extensive water transmission system and a streamlined regulatory regime in the water sector,” he added.