Why does Saudi Arabia have desalination plants?
Desalination barges have operated since 2008 to meet high seasonal demand for potable water along the Red Sea coast of the Kingdom. In 2010 the largest floating desalination plant in the world, with a production capacity of 25,000 m3/day (9 million m3/year), was launched on a barge in Yanbu.
Where desalination plants are located in Saudi Arabia and why?
Saline Water Conversion Corporation Ras Al-Khair Power and Desalination Plant in Ras al Khair, Saudi Arabia. These plants serve east coast cities and also pipe desalinated water 400km into the desert to the 7 million residents of the capital Riyadh.
Why are desalination plants being built?
Desalination provides a climate-independent source of water for critical human needs and economic development (industry and agriculture in particular). It is an effective way to secure water supplies against the effects of climate change, a growing population and drought.
What is the purpose of desalination?
Desalination is the process of removing salts or other minerals and contaminants from seawater, brackish water, and wastewater effluent and it is an increasingly common solution to obtain fresh water for human consumption and for domestic/industrial utilization.
Why is desalination not used more?
The problem is that the desalination of water requires a lot of energy. Salt dissolves very easily in water, forming strong chemical bonds, and those bonds are difficult to break. Energy and the technology to desalinate water are both expensive, and this means that desalinating water can be pretty costly.
Why do middle eastern countries use desalination?
Oman relies on desalination because its extreme scarcity of water leaves few other options. The Middle East, according to experts, accounts for more than 60% of the world’s total desalination capacity. Other water-stressed countries, such as Morocco and Australia, have also begun to tap the oceans.
Where do Middle Eastern countries get water?
To meet water demand, many countries in the Middle East rely on desalination plants. Over 75% of worldwide desalinated water is in the Middle East and North Africa, 70% of which is in the GCC countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates) and 6% in Libya and Algeria.
Why is water so scarce in the Middle East?
Universal causes for a spread of arid environment are unsustainable agriculture practices and overgrazing. Agriculture uses 85 percent of water in this region. It is common to misuse land by heavy irrigation in the Middle East. In the area droughts are more frequent, and contribute to the changing landscape.
Which countries use sea water for drinking?
Brine production in just four Middle Eastern countries—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates—accounts for more than half of this. The study authors, who hail from Canada, the Netherlands, and South Korea, aren’t saying desalination plants are evil.