When Did Water Desalination Begin in the Kingdom?

The history of water desalination in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia dates back to 1907 when a coal-powered machine for distilling water vapor was salvaged from a shipwreck and installed on the shore of Jeddah. It was named "al-Kandasa," derived from its Latin name (condenser).

In 1926, the Founding King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, ordered the importation of two machines for seawater distillation to meet the needs of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims and residents of Jeddah.

The journey continued with the establishment of the General Directorate for Desalination at the Ministry of Agriculture and Water (now the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture) in 1965. This led to the creation of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation, which has achieved global recognition. In 2019, it was awarded a Guinness World Record certificate for being the largest producer of desalinated seawater in the world, with a production capacity of five million m³ per day. Additionally, al-Jubayl Desalination Plant achieved the world's highest production for a single plant, reaching 1.4 million m³ of water per day.

On May 7, 2024, the Council of Ministers approved the transformation of (the Saline Water Conversion Corporation) into an authority named (the Saudi Water Authority).