SWCC produced 1.1 billion cubic meters water in 2014

RIYADH: The Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) produced 1.1 billion cubic meters of desalinated water last year, an increase of 10 percent from the previous year, according to Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah Al-Hussayen.
Al-Hussayen, who is also the SWCC board chairman, said in a report that the Kingdom will continue its efforts to provide potable water to its citizens.
“This will be achieved through the expansion and development of the system of stations and water networks to cover the needs of all of the regions,” he said.
According to him, the plant in Ras Al-Khair in the Eastern Province has increased the capacity considerably. Additionally, the SWCC’s total production covered the Kingdom’s 46 cities and provinces and also contributes to the production of electricity.
Al-Hussayen said the rapid development of the local water desalination industry due to the support of the government through the scientific and technical developments employed by the Research Institute and associated desalination technologies.
He noted that the SWCC’s leadership in water desalination is reflected by the certificates of recognition that it has received, adding that it has continued to train manpower through continuous training at its center in Jubail.
SWCC Gov. Abdul Rahman Al-Ibrahim said the volume of desalinated water pumped from the Eastern Province stations totaled 550.1 million cubic meters, and represented 49.7 percent of the total amount, supplying the Eastern Region, Riyadh, Qassim, Sudair and Washem provinces.
In the Western Region, the SWCC produced 557.5 million cubic meters and represented 50.3 percent of the total. This water went to the holy places of Makkah, Jeddah, Madinah, among other areas.
He said that the SWCC transfers water from the stations to the beneficiaries through a network of 21 pipelines with a total length of 5,684 km.