ACCIONA’s first series of these events at the Spanish Embassy in Riyadh highlights the solution for water sustainability in the Kingdom: reverse osmosis desalination
ACCIONA, a global company and a leader in the provision of regenerative solutions for a decarbonized economy, held its first panel discussion in its series of Talks designed to promote regenerative and sustainable solutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The event took place at the Spanish Embassy in Riyadh last Sunday 28th of April and brought together a range of leading figures from across the water field, government, and business to showcase the importance of reverse osmosis technology in the water cycle.
The Riyadh event follows an inaugural panel discussion of its series entitled The Saudi solution for water sustainability: reverse osmosis desalination which explored the winning formula for achieving water sustainability in the Kingdom thanks to the reverse osmosis technology.
Panelists who participated in the event included: Mr. Khaled Al Qourashi (SWPC CEO); Mr. Khalid Al Habib (Chief Investment Officer WTTCO), Mr. Mohammed Alhajjaj (ENGIE KSA CEO) and Manuel Manjon, CEO of ACCIONA’s Water business line. The Talk was moderated by Julio de la Rosa, Middle East Business Development Director for the Water Business of ACCIONA.
The participants shared their experience in the water field and explained the importance of managing water resources efficiently to meet the needs of the growing population and expanding economy without compromising future generations’ ability to access clean water. Also given its arid climate and limited freshwater resources, Saudi Arabia relies heavily on desalination plants to meet its water needs.
The speakers emphasized as well how the Saudi Vision 2030 gives the importance of investing in desalination technology such as reverse osmosis, and expanding the capacity of existing desalination plants to ensure a reliable supply of freshwater for domestic, industrial, and agricultural use.
Javier Nieto, KSA Director for the Water business of ACCIONA who participated as the keynote speaker, said that “ACCIONA’s expertise is directly relevant to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 programs and goals. We see ourselves as partners that can enable the Kingdom to realize its vision of creating a vibrant, diversified and more sustainable economy and society. For example, the seven desalinations and wastewater treatment plants that we are building –and the two desalination plants that we have recently completed– will improve the water security of 8.3 million people and make the country more resilient to climate shocks”.
REVERSE OSMOSIS IN KSA
Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s largest producers of desalinated water, with numerous desalination plants along its coastline. Reverse osmosis technology plays a vital role in addressing water scarcity challenges in the Kingdom by providing a sustainable and reliable source of clean water for different sectors and applications, contributing to the country’s economic development, environmental sustainability, and social well-being.
Total desalinated water production in the Middle East will be 13 times higher in 2040 than it was in 2014, according to the latest ACCIONA Sustainability Report. In a region with acute water scarcity, demand for desalinated water is being driven by climate change and population growth. Saudi Arabia, which has a population of about 33.4 million, is the world’s third largest per capita consumer of water after the United States and Canada.
ACCIONA desalinates water using the most efficient reverse osmosis technology. The use of this technology emits 6.5 times fewer greenhouse gases than thermal desalination technologies.