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Saline Water Conversion Corporation Begins Privatizing Production System in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s Saline Water Conversion Corporation has invited qualified firms to place their bids to acquire the majority stake in its Ras Al-Khair facility.
Saudi Arabia’s Saline Water Conversion Corporation has invited qualified firms to place their bids to acquire the majority stake in its Ras Al-Khair facility.
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Saline Water Conversion Corporation Begins Privatizing Production System in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s Saline Water Conversion Corporation has invited qualified firms to place their bids to acquire the majority stake in its Ras Al-Khair facility.
Saudi Arabia’s Saline Water Conversion Corporation has invited qualified firms to place their bids to acquire the majority stake in its Ras Al-Khair facility.

Saudi Arabia’s Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) has invited qualified firms to place their bids to acquire the majority stake in its Ras Al-Khair (RAK) facility.

“The winning bidder will own 60 percent of RAK Project Company and take over the management, operation and maintenance,” the firm said.

It revealed that at least seven companies and consortiums have already qualified to submit their bids.

The step comes in light of the corporation’s attempts to privatize the water sector and develop the production system on a commercial level to start offering it throughout the kingdom.

The project is the first SWCC production bundle to be privatized and overseen by the Supervisory Committee for Privatization in the Environment, Water and Agriculture sector, with the participation of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, the National Center for Privatization and the Saudi Water Partnerships Company.

The SWCC, which operates desalination plants and power stations in the Kingdom, has been preparing the launch of the remaining production bundles, which include Yanbu and Shuaiba desalination assets, as well as other construction plants.

The RAK power and desalination plant is the world’s largest with production of over 1,051 million cubic meters of desalinated water per day with 2,650 megawatts of base load power.

Last week, the SWCC and the Water Transmission and Technologies Co. (WTTCO) signed a cooperation agreement to outsource management services.

The deal will boost the efficiency and organization of the water sector, as well as develop the Kingdom’s economy by adding more than SAR60 billion ($16 billion) worth of investment opportunities in water transport and storage systems by involving the private sector in funding future projects.

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Saudi Arabia Makes History with Adoption of Riyadh Treaty on Design Law

Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Makes History with Adoption of Riyadh Treaty on Design Law

Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia has made history by uniting the 193 member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to adopt the Riyadh Treaty on Design Law. This landmark achievement, realized after two decades of deliberation, underscores the Kingdom’s leadership in enhancing the global intellectual property system.

The announcement came at the conclusion of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty, a rare event for WIPO, which has not held a diplomatic conference outside Geneva for more than a decade. It was also the first such event hosted in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, representing the final stage of negotiations to establish an agreement aimed at simplifying and standardizing design protection procedures across member states.

Over the past two weeks, intensive discussions and negotiations among member states culminated in the adoption of the Riyadh Treaty, which commits signatory nations to a unified set of requirements for registering designs, ensuring consistent and streamlined procedures worldwide. The agreement is expected to have a significant positive impact on designers, enabling them to protect their creations more effectively and uniformly across international markets.

At a press conference held on Friday to mark the event’s conclusion, CEO of the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property Abdulaziz Al-Suwailem highlighted the economic potential of the new protocol.

Responding to a question from Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Suwailem noted the substantial contributions of young Saudi men and women in creative design. He explained that the agreement will enable their designs to be formally protected, allowing them to enter markets as valuable, tradable assets.

He also emphasized the symbolic importance of naming the convention the Riyadh Treaty, stating that it reflects Saudi Arabia’s growing influence as a bridge between cultures and a global center for innovative initiatives.

The treaty lays critical legal foundations to support designers and drive innovation worldwide, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s vision of promoting international collaboration in the creative industries and underscoring its leadership in building a sustainable future for innovators.

The agreement also advances global efforts to enhance creativity, protect intellectual property, and stimulate innovation on a broader scale.

This achievement further strengthens Saudi Arabia’s position as a global hub for groundbreaking initiatives, demonstrating its commitment to nurturing creativity, safeguarding designers’ rights, and driving the development of creative industries on an international scale.

The Riyadh Diplomatic Conference, held from November 11 to 22, was hosted by the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property and attracted high-ranking officials and decision-makers from WIPO member states.