Saudi Arabia Builds 9 Desalination Plants on Red Sea

Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Eng. Abdulrahman al-Fadhli. SPA
Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Eng. Abdulrahman al-Fadhli. SPA
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Saudi Arabia Builds 9 Desalination Plants on Red Sea

Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Eng. Abdulrahman al-Fadhli. SPA
Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Eng. Abdulrahman al-Fadhli. SPA

Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Eng. Abdulrahman al-Fadhli announced the establishment of nine water desalination plants using modern techniques on the Red Sea coast to “improve the quality of water services.”

“I would like to thank the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince for issuing the generous directive to build nine desalination plants with modern technologies on the Red Sea coast for a value of more than two billion riyals ($533 million),” Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Meteorology and Environment Protection said.

He pointed out that they will be completed in less than 18 months with the capacity of 240,000 cubic meters per day.

The project will help government-owned Saudi Saline Water Conversion Corp. (SWCC) raise production efficiency and cut operating and capital costs, Fadhli said.

He added that these stations will have a significant impact on improving the quality and coverage of water services to achieve the objectives of the National Transformation Program 2020.

The company will achieve a record of adding 1.4 million cubic meters of desalinated water in 13 months, equivalent to a new desalination plant worth 13 billion riyals ($3.4 billion) without additional capital costs, Fadhli stressed.

He inspected Sunday the new building of the General Authority for Meteorology and Environmental Protection in Jeddah.

He also reviewed the analysis and forecasting center, the readiness of modern meteorological techniques, radars, meteorological and satellite stations and the tasks performed by the Department in presenting the forecasts and warnings sent to the beneficiaries and the public according to the plans prepared and agreed upon with the relevant parties.

Fadhli reviewed the work of the authority’s 17 initiatives, related to the National Transformation Program 2020, that were launched last month and focus on increasing the efficiency of the processes and mechanisms of accreditation, environmental licensing and periodic environmental inspection to monitor fuel and service stations, control drainage from the source and establish a central air quality control unit and emissions from the source.



US, China Reach Deal to Cut Trade Deficit, US Officials Say

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (L) and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speak to the media after talks between seniors US and Chinese officials on tariffs at the residence of the permanent Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva on May 11, 2025. (Photo by VALENTIN FLAURAUD / AFP)
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (L) and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speak to the media after talks between seniors US and Chinese officials on tariffs at the residence of the permanent Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva on May 11, 2025. (Photo by VALENTIN FLAURAUD / AFP)
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US, China Reach Deal to Cut Trade Deficit, US Officials Say

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (L) and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speak to the media after talks between seniors US and Chinese officials on tariffs at the residence of the permanent Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva on May 11, 2025. (Photo by VALENTIN FLAURAUD / AFP)
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (L) and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speak to the media after talks between seniors US and Chinese officials on tariffs at the residence of the permanent Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva on May 11, 2025. (Photo by VALENTIN FLAURAUD / AFP)

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday reported "substantial progress" in US talks with China's top economic officials to de-escalate a damaging trade war, but offered no details of an agreement reached as two days of negotiations wrapped up in Geneva.
Bessent told reporters that details would be announced on Monday and that US President Donald Trump was fully aware of the results of the "productive talks."
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who participated in the talks with Bessent, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and two Chinese vice ministers, described the conclusion as "a deal we struck with our Chinese partners" that will help reduce the $1.2 trillion US global goods trade deficit.
"And this was, as the Secretary pointed out, a very constructive two days. It's important to understand how quickly we were able to come to agreement, which reflects that perhaps the differences were not so large as maybe thought," Greer said, adding that the Chinese officials were "tough negotiators"
The meeting was the first face-to-face interaction between Bessent, Greer and He since the world's two largest economies imposed tariffs well above 100% on each other's goods.
Although Bessent has said the bilateral tariffs were too high and needed to come down in a de-escalation move, he did not offer any details of reductions agreed and took no questions from reporters, Reuters said.
Earlier, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said the Chinese were "very, very eager" to engage in discussions and rebalance trade relations with the United States.
Hassett also told Fox News that more foreign trade deals could be coming with other countries as soon as this week.
Overnight, Trump gave a positive reading of the talks, saying the two sides had negotiated "a total reset... in a friendly, but constructive, manner."
"A very good meeting today with China, in Switzerland. Many things discussed, much agreed to," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
"We want to see, for the good of both China and the US, an opening up of China to American business. GREAT PROGRESS MADE!!!," Trump added, without elaborating on the progress.
Speaking on "Sunday Morning Futures" on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo, Hassett said Beijing is eager to re-set trade relations with the United States.
"It looks like the Chinese are very, very eager to play ball and to re-normalize things," Hassett said.
Hassett also said more trade deal announcements could be imminent following last week's announcement of an agreement with the United Kingdom. He said he had been briefed by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on two dozen pending deals in development with USTR Greer.
"They all look a little bit like the UK deal but each one is bespoke," Hassett said.
GATED VILLA
The negotiating teams met at the gated villa of Switzerland's UN ambassador, overlooking Lake Geneva in the leafy suburb of Cologny. Black Mercedes vans with sirens shuttled to and from the venue, which was bathed in bright sunshine.
Neutral Switzerland was chosen as the venue following approaches by Swiss politicians on recent visits to China and the United States.
Washington is seeking to reduce its $295 billion goods trade deficit with Beijing and persuade China to renounce what the United States says is a mercantilist economic model and contribute more to global consumption, a shift that would require politically sensitive domestic reforms.