Riyadh – Mubasher: NEOM announced that it has signed an agreement with the UK-based Solar Water Company Limited to build the first desalination plant with Solar Dome technology in the futuristic city.

Work on the project is set to begin next month and is expected to be completed by the end of the year, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The aim is to produce clean, low-cost, and environmentally friendly freshwater, in order to realize NEOM’s vision of becoming a promising centre for innovation and environmental conservation.

The desalination project will provide clean water at a cost of $0.34 (SAR 1.275) per cubic meter (m3), which is significantly lower than the cost of conventional desalination plants that apply the reverse osmosis technique.

Moreover, the new technique has a better environmental impact, by significantly reducing saline solution, which is a by-product of water abstraction that can harm nearby ecosystems.

NEOM is a $500 billion megacity project in the northwest of Saudi Arabia. It will be a 100% sustainable and carbon-neutral city, applying state of the art technologies and digital solutions.