Science

Middle East Desalination Timeline 1960–2026: How Gulf Countries Turn Seawater Into Drinki…

Gulf states turned seawater into a strategic municipal water supply through seven decades of desalination infrastructure, starting with Kuwait's pioneering mul…

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THE FIRST MSF PLANT

Kuwait Pioneers the World's First Multi-Stage Flash Plant

Kuwait commissions the world's first multi-stage flash (MSF) desalination plant in 1957, a global first, not just a regional one. A dedicated MSF facility at Shuwaikh re…

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COGENERATION ERA

Power-and-Water Plants Spread Across the Gulf

Oil-funded industrial development drives construction of large thermal desalination plants across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, frequently paired wit…

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THE RO SHIFT

Reverse Osmosis Accelerates Across the Region

Improved membranes, better pretreatment and energy-recovery devices make seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) increasingly cost-competitive with thermal desalination for new…

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STORAGE, NOT JUST PRODUCTION

Qatar Commissions Its Strategic Water Reservoirs

Qatar's Kahramaa commissions the Water Security Mega Reservoirs Project: 15 reservoirs across five sites, each holding 100 million imperial gallons, for a combined 1,500…

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RENEWABLES ENTER

Solar-Linked Power Reaches Desalination Plants

A new generation of SWRO plants comes online with higher efficiency and, increasingly, renewable-linked grid electricity. Saudi Arabia's Shuaibah 3 is converted from the…

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THE CURRENT BUILDOUT

Saudi Arabia and the UAE Scale Up SWRO

Saudi Arabia's SWPC advances seven independent water projects worth about 2.75 million cubic metres a day of new SWRO capacity, targeting 18 million m3/day of national d…

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