As of 2026, Saudi Arabia operates 27 large-scale desalination plants producing about 9.5 million cubic meters of freshwater daily, covering roughly 86% of the country’s drinking water needs.
Where are these plants located?
Most desalination plants are clustered along Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea and Persian Gulf coastlines, where seawater is abundant and freshwater is scarce.
Annual rainfall here often doesn’t even hit 100 mm. Cities like Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam would struggle without these coastal plants. Households and industries in these areas depend on desalinated water. Even inland agriculture gets in on the action—take the Al-Ahsa Oasis, one of the world’s top date producers. When groundwater runs low, they lean on desalinated water to keep those date palms happy.
Where exactly are the plants, and how much do they produce?
| Region | Number of Plants | Primary Water Source | Annual Production (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Sea Coast (Jeddah, Yanbu, Jizan) | 11 | Seawater | 3.8 million m³/day |
| Persian Gulf Coast (Dammam, Jubail, Khobar) | 14 | Seawater | 5.2 million m³/day |
| Inland (Riyadh, Al-Kharj) | 2 | Brackish groundwater | 500,000 m³/day |
Since 2020, Saudi Arabia’s desalination capacity has jumped by 40%. That’s all part of Vision 2030’s push to cut groundwater reliance. The country plans to add 10 new plants by 2030, pushing total output to 11 million m³/day. These expansions matter—a lot. Water demand here is expected to climb 6% annually through 2030, according to the Saudi Ministry of Water and Environment.
How did Saudi Arabia become a desalination powerhouse?
After the 1970s oil boom, rapid population growth and industrial expansion made traditional water sources unsustainable, so the country bet big on desalination.
The Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), founded in 1965, now runs 30 plants and holds the title of world’s largest desalinated water producer. The Ras Al-Khair Desalination Plant, the country’s largest, churns out 275,000 m³/day and shares a site with a 2,400 MW power plant. That’s smart infrastructure pairing. Newer projects, like solar-powered desalination in NEOM’s Oxagon industrial city, aim to slash energy use by 50%. The goal? By 2030, 50% of desalination energy should come from renewables. It’s all part of Saudi Arabia’s plan to diversify the economy and lock in water independence.
