Saudi Arabia Announces the Launch of Water Transmission and Technologies Company (WTTCO)

As 2020 drew to a close, Saudi Arabia reached yet another milestone in its efforts to make Vision 2030 a reality by facilitating changes within the vital public and private sectors to enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of the nation.

Announced at a conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, His Excellency Abdul-Rahman bin Abdul-Mohsen Al-Fadhli, unveiled the establishment of the Water Transmission and Technologies Company (WTTCO).

The launching of the WTTCO highlights the significant progress made by The Supervisory Committee for the Privatization of the Environment, Water, and Agriculture Sector in addressing and restructuring the Kingdom’s water sector. Al-Fadhli considers the establishment of WTTCO to be a key moment in the push towards enhancing the efficiency and organization of the water sector while contributing to a prosperous future for the Kingdom’s economy. The water sector will do so by attracting more than SAR 60 billion in investment in water transmission and strategic storage systems, through the private sector’s participation in funding future projects. WTTCO will manage and maintain water transmission, distribution, and storage systems that span over more than 8,400 Km and transmit more than 7 million m3 per day of desalinated water across the country.

Governor Engineer Abdullah Bin Ibrahim Al-Abdlkareem, SWCC Governor and WTTCO’s Chairman of the Board, was keen to stress the positive contribution that the establishment of the company will make towards the development of the water sector supply chain. He also reiterated the importance of WTTCO’s role in managing, constructing, developing, and maintaining water transmission, storage, and dispatch systems, while adding more than 3,500 Km of new transmission lines.

These lines will distribute more than 4 million m3 per day of desalinated water to communities and businesses. The company will work to achieve higher efficiency and impact for the sector while meeting the highest standards of health, safety, and environmental protection. In addition to driving innovation in water technology and research, WTTCO’s arrival will also see the completion of projects to integrate water connections across multiple regions of the Kingdom.

Engineer Al-Abdlkareem is under no doubt that WTTCO will have a positive effect upon the quality of life for the burgeoning Saudi population by developing public services and infrastructure while advancing water transmission pipelines to meet needs across the Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia is currently the largest single desalination market in the world, providing key opportunities in terms of privatization. With this in mind, WTTCO’s formation may prove to be seen as one of the most important shifts seen in the Kingdoms’ water sector to date. Engineer Al-Abdlkareem added, in sync with Vision 2030 targets, that the company would strive to develop and train local Saudi talent, who currently make up more than 97 percent of WTTCO’s workforce. Employees are to be provided with the necessary skillset and expertise to complement WTTCO’s work in R&D, further consolidating Saudi Arabia’s leading role in the global water market.