Veolia’s agreements with ACWA Power, Ma’aden and Khazeen come as the Kingdom expands industries that will need more water, treatment capacity and ways to manage industrial waste. 

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Veolia has signed three memorandums of understanding with Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power, Ma’aden and Khazeen, bringing water treatment and industrial waste management into projects spanning desalination, mining and LPG infrastructure. Announced on September 1, the agreements cover desalination efficiency, industrial water reuse, hazardous waste treatment and material recovery. 

The agreements come as Saudi Arabia works to expand its industrial economy under Vision 2030 while dealing with the limits of its water resources. Water security has become part of the Kingdom’s wider development plans, with investment going into desalination, wastewater treatment and more efficient use of existing supplies. In June, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture said desalinated water production capacity had reached 16 million cubic meters per day, up from 9 million cubic meters per day in 2016. The National Water Strategy 2030 also calls for greater efficiency and improved resource management across the sector. 

ACWA has 9.7 million cubic meters per day of desalinated water capacity across its portfolio according to Veolia, and the two companies plan to work on plant design and operations, focusing on energy use, chemical consumption, water quality, and digital and operational practices. Veolia estimates that the collaboration could reduce emissions by up to 500,000 metric tons of CO2 a year. The same focus on water efficiency carries into Saudi Arabia’s expanding industrial base. As the Kingdom develops mining and processing capacity, facilities will also need to manage the water they consume and the waste they generate. Ma’aden, one of the main companies behind the Kingdom’s mining expansion, will work with Veolia on industrial water treatment and reuse, alongside waste reduction and material recovery. The agreement places resource management within a sector Saudi Arabia is developing as part of its effort to broaden the economy beyond hydrocarbons. 

Those demands also extend to infrastructure supporting the energy sector. Khazeen, a GASCO subsidiary specializing in LPG storage and handling, has signed an agreement covering industrial water treatment and hazardous waste management at its facilities. The companies will also examine a combined approach to water, energy and waste management for Khazeen’s customers. 

“Environmental security has become an essential condition for the sovereignty, competitiveness, and strategic autonomy of territories. In Saudi Arabia, this involves the ability to preserve every drop of water, decarbonize industrial development, and turn waste into resources. Through these agreements, and thanks to our cutting-edge technologies and solutions, we are taking action on a large scale to turn challenges into concrete and effective solutions, in line with Saudi Vision 2030. Our innovations and expertise are only effective when they find concrete applications in response to a territory's challenges and in support of its essential infrastructures.” said Estelle Brachlianoff, CEO of Veolia 

None of the three MoUs includes disclosed financial terms or specific project awards, so their commercial impact will depend on what follows. Their immediate relevance is easier to see in the infrastructure Saudi Arabia is already developing. More desalination, mining, processing and energy capacity will bring greater demand for the systems that supply and treat water and manage industrial waste around those operations. As the Kingdom moves deeper into its industrial buildout, those requirements will increasingly become part of how projects are planned and operated alongside the core facilities themselves. 

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