The first water desalination unit was established in the Kingdom in 1928 when King Abdul Aziz ordered the establishment of a desalination unit under the name of “Kandasa” for provision of drinking water for Jeddah. In 1970, the desalination station was set up in Jeddah.

Today Saudi Arabia produces more potable water from the sea than any other country. In 1974, a Royal Decree was issued for the establishment of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC). According to its regulations it was set up to enhance the Kingdom’s natural water sources. The Corporation began by producing a few thousand cubic yards of desalinated water to meet regional needs. But within a short period, it expanded its operations to produce electricity at the desalination plants. Under the SWCC, the production of desalinated water increased more than 100-fold, while the power production also registered a greater than 80-fold increase within two decades.

The Kingdom has two types of desalination plants:

• One-function plants (produce only desalinated water).
• Dual-purpose plants (produce both desalinated water and electricity).

The dual-purpose plants produce 20% of the Kingdom’s total electricity production.

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