OVERVIEW
DATE: 8 to 11 APRIL 2012
Riyadh Intercontinental Hotel -
CONTEXT:
The scarcity of water resources is considered a major issue for many Arab countries. However, the demand for water continues to increase.
Several factors such as population & economic growth, pollution of existing water resources, & climate change continue to drive the need for new, reliable sources of water.
Desalination is one of the answers, & it continues to be an increasingly important part of global water solutions for the 21st century.
Membrane process, accounts for nearly 2/3 of contracted capacity, while Thermal processes account for about 1/3 of installed capacity. Thermal processes are the most widely used desalination technologies in the Middle East region, accounting for more than half the world`s installed capacity.
Desalination by the numbers:
• 66.5 million cubic meters per day (m3/d) - total global capacity of all plants currently online
• 8.8% increase over last year
• 77.4 million m3/d - total global capacity including online, under construction and/or contracted
• 15,988 plants worldwide
• 747 plants with a capacity of 5.3 million m3/d have been added to inventory
Geography of desalination:
• Middle East is the largest market
• Large scale programs in Australia, Algeria and Spain
• 150 countries around the world
