Saudi Arabia’s first reverse osmosis (RO) membrane manufacturing plant in Dammam is scheduled to start operations 2025, a tweet by Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) said.

The plant is a joint venture between Saudi-based Abunayyan Holding and Japan’s Toray Industries, a related report by local newspaper Arab News said. In February 2014, the two companies had announced the setting up of Toray Membrane Middle East (TMME) at an investment of $80 million to manufacture RO membranes.

An Arabic language infographic tweeted by SWCC on Saturday, 5 November, said the plant, with a total capacity of 254,000 membranes, is expected to start production in 2025. 

The plant will source 70 percent of its raw materials domestically, and will supply 10 percent of its production to SWCC, 55 percent to the local water treatment industry, 5 percent to oil and gas industry, and 30 percent for exports, according to the infographic.

The Kingdom’s RO membrane component demand is expected to touch one billion Saudi riyals ($375 million) by 2030, compared to 570 million Saudi riyals this year, it added.

(Writing by D Madhura; Additional writing by Marwa Abo Almajd; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)