Degrémont won, last October, two contracts from the National Water Company (NWC) of Saudi Arabia for the supply and installation of modular units to produce drinking water from brackish groundwater in the area of Riyadh.

These contracts, for a total of €40 million, relate to 14 sites around the city and concern the installation and commissioning of 33 modular units for processing brackish water.

On 7 February 2013, drinking water started to be produced from the first 5,000 m3/day unit at the SR17 site, near to the Dharhat Laban district. The site, which produces water for 3 000 households which were formerly supplied by tanker trucks, was visited by Aabdallah Al Hussein, the Minister of Water and Electricity on 19 February.

Degrémont thus answers the need of the NWC which had wanted very fast commissioning, in order to support population growth in a country where freshwater resources are scarce.

This performance has been achieved through a unique industrial cooperation between Degrémont’s different operational entities in Europe, the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

To comply with contractual requirements and meet an ambitious timetable, Degrémont established an international coordination to design, manufacture, transport, and assemble specific components on the 33 modular units destined for Saudi Arabia. Degrémont and its subsidiary, Water and Power Technologies which based in the United States, have pooled their expertise in reverse osmosis technology and in modular, containerised treatment units to achieved this cooperation. The equipment was manufactured through Degrémont’s different operational entities in the United States, Europe, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.