Scheme in Al Khafji City will provide drinking water for 100,000 people

Saudi Arabia is planning to build a cutting edge desalination plant using new solar power technology.

The plant will be built in Al Khafji City and will produce 7.9 million gallons of drinking water a day, serving 100,000 people.

The project is the result of a collaboration between the King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and IBM. The pair developed a plant powered by ultra-high concentrator photovoltaic (UHCPV) technology that they say will significantly reduce water and energy costs.

Over one billion people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water, but the cost of desalination is usually high due to the substantial energy consumption of the desalination plants.

Takreem Al Tohamy, regional manager of IBM Middle East and North Africa, told local press: “The culmination of our joint research has enabled us to radically reduce the cost of water through the development of nano-technologies that revolutionise traditional methods and renewable energy sources.”

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