Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Al-Hossein recently signed 24 contracts for the implementation of water and sanitation projects in different parts of the Kingdom at a total cost of SR551 million.
The implementation of the projects comes within the framework of the royal directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. The contracts include maintenance of water networks and a sewage treatment plant in Qassim at an estimated cost of SR156.8 million. In addition, another contract for the operation and maintenance of water purification in Qassim was signed at a value of SR 50 million.
Other projects include sewage networks in Najran and water tanks with pumping stations in Madinah, in addition to the examination and evaluation of projects and rehabilitation without sewer lines in Dammam, the operation and maintenance of sanitation in villages of the province of Al-Ahsa and drinking water projects in Tabuk.
The implementation of these projects takes into account the requirements of the next phase of urbanization and rapid population growth in cities and governorates across the Kingdom.
The Kingdom is planning to invest approximately $134 billion in power generation and water projects within the next decade.
The Saudi government has already announced plans to invest $109 billion in the production of 41GW of solar energy by 2032 to fulfill electricity demand in the Kingdom.
The Kingdom’s total productive capacity is expected to grow by more than 120GW in 2030. In addition, massive industrial development in the Kingdom is expected to push electricity demand to 67,000 MW in 2020.
The Saudi government also plans to use nuclear and renewable energy to produce almost 50 percent of the country’s desalinated water. It operates 27 desalination plants and produces close to 3 million cubic meters of water per day.
Saudi Arabia receives only 4 inches of rainfall a year and has limited underground water and other reserves. While water consumption over the same period has fallen by approximately 1.5 percent annually, demand for desalinated water has increased by more than double, at 6.27 percent.
The participation of more than 200 local and foreign energy companies in the 16th international exhibition for electricity power generation and water technology resulted in the provision of comprehensive technology plans covering various energy sectors, ranging from electricity generation and distribution to alternative and renewable energy technologies in the Kingdom.
SR551 million water and electricity projects signed
