The Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) produced 955 million cubic meters of desalinated water last year, an increase of 7.8 percent compared to the figures of the previous year according to an annual report released by SWCC.
Around 504 million cubic meters of desalinated water were produced by plants in the eastern coast of the Kingdom, equivalent to 52.8 percent of the total production capacity, where the share of western coast plants stood at 47.2 percent, or 451 million cubic meters, the report said.
There were 10,153 SWCC employees in the fiscal year 2012-2013. Saudi nationals held 86.3 percent of the total posts, while the remaining 14 percent went to the expat contractual employees, it said.
A number of desalination projects are currently under implementation, including the Ras Al-Khair plant with a capacity of 1.025 million cubic meters per day (cmpd), phase three of the Jeddah plant based on the reverse osmosis system, with 240,000 cmpd, phase three of the Yanbu plant, with 550,000 cmpd and a series of water transportation projects across parts of the Kingdom.
Projects under bidding include five plants at Rabigh at phase three, with a capacity of 20,000 cmpd, Haql (phase three), Dhubaa (phase four), Wajh (phase four), each with a capacity of 9,000 cmpd and Rabigh (phase four) with 600,000 cmpd, the report said.
Total expenditure on SWCC projects exceeded SR 100.4 billion until the end of the 2012-2013 fiscal year, where operation and maintenance costs of the plant and its facilities stood at more than SR 42.3 billion, the report said.
SWCC produces 955 mcm of desalinated water in a year
