Saudi Arabia moves ahead with privatisation of water sector with WTTCO launch
Water Transmission and Technologies Company to manage and maintain transmission, distribution and storage systems spanning over 8,400km
Saudi Arabia has announced the establishment of the Water Transmission and Technologies Company (WTTCO), the kingdom’s first entity formed after it embarked on a privatisation programme in its water sector.
The arrival of WTTCO was enacted by the Saudi Council of Ministers and announced by Abdul-Rahman bin Abdul-Mohsen Al-Fadhli, the Saudi minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture. The company’s launch marks a major step by The Supervisory Committee for the Privatisation of the Environment, Water, and Agriculture Sector towards restructuring the Kingdom’s water sector, said a statement from the company.
WTTCO will manage and maintain water transmission, distribution and storage systems that span more than 8,400km and transmit more than seven million cubic metres per day of desalinated water across the country. The company will work to achieve higher efficiency and impact for the sector, while driving innovation in water technology and research. Closely aligned to the Saudi 2030 vision, WTTCO’s arrival is one of the most important transformations seen in the water sector to date, added the statement.
The new company – owned by the government – represents a quantum leap in the integration of the water sector as WTTCO will operate commercially to maximize the use of assets and achieve greater spending efficiency, while also decreasing supply chain costs.
Abdul-Mohsen Al-Fadhli, minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, chairman of the Supervisory Committee for the Privatisation of the Environment, Water and Agriculture Sector, and chairman of the Board of Directors of Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), expressed his appreciation for the decision of the Saudi Council of Ministers to establish WTTCO to achieve the goals of the National Water Strategy and the Privatisation Programme, which will enhance water services to achieve future growth and sustainability.
Al-Fadhli said the establishment of WTTCO was a historic step in enhancing the efficiency and organisation of the water sector while contributing to a prosperous future for the Saudi 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.
Abdullah Bin Ibrahim Al-Abdlkareem, SWCC Governor and WTTCO’s chairman of the Board, said the establishment of the company contributes to the development of the water sector supply chain and that WTTCO will play an important role in managing, constructing, developing and maintaining water transmission, storage and dispatch systems, while adding more than 3,500km of new transmission lines. These lines will distribute more than 4 million cubic metres per day of desalinated water to communities and businesses.
Al-Abdlkareem added that the company will work to develop and train local Saudi talent, who today make up more than 97% of WTTCO’s workforce. Employees will be provided with the necessary expertise and skills to complement WTTCO’s work in water research and technologies.
