Saudi Arabia's next privately financed desalination plant, Ras Mohaisen, is due to deliver its first 100,000 m³ a day in 2028 and its full 300,000 m³ a day by 2030. Its financial close on 25 December 2025 is the most recent announced for any Sharakat project.
Desalination's share keeps rising
Desalinated supply rose 31% to 3,785 million m³ in 2023, according to GASTAT, and reached 50% of distributed water, up from 44% in 2022. The population grew 4.7% in the year to mid-2024, to 35.3 million.
A thin list of new plants
Beyond Ras Mohaisen, the 500,000 m³ a day Shoaiba 6 plant has been under construction for the Saudi Water Authority since October 2025. The 600,000 m³ a day Jubail 4&6 plant has had a preferred bidder since December 2024 but no purchase agreement. A seven-plant wave of about 2.8 million m³ a day is not expected to reach its first request for proposals until early 2027.
Pipelines set the inland dates
The 587 km Jubail–Buraydah line, financed in October 2025, is due in the first quarter of 2029. The 859 km Riyadh–Qassim line is due in the first quarter of 2030 but had not been financed by November 2026.
Targets that do not agree
The Minister set 18 million m³ a day of desalination for 2030 in December 2023, while an ACWA Power executive cites about 20 million. Official capacity statements include 12.8 million and 16 million m³ a day.
Savings fill part of the gap
Efficiency centre Maee reported savings of about 158,000 m³ a day in the first half of 2026, against 25,000 in 2023. The National Water Company's losses were 35% in February 2026.
Which sources Saudi Arabia still depends on, how much fossil groundwater it draws against recharge, and what the 2050 plan may need to show are answered in the full report. The full report, Water Security and Supply Outlook in Saudi Arabia, is available for USD 249. For a free overview, see Saudi Arabia Country Snapshot.