GE Unveils White Paper on Reuse Policy Options to Help Meet Growing Demand for Water in Saudi Arabia
February 25 2015 - 11:11AM
- Detailed Study of the Kingdom's Water Reuse Recommends Four
Major Policy Options Including Education and Outreach, Removing
Barriers, Incentives and Mandates and Regulation
- GE Presents White Paper at the Water Arabia 2015 Conference
& Exhibition
- Showcases Latest Technologies to Support the Kingdom's Water
Challenges
GE (NYSE: GE) will unveil an industry white paper on "Addressing
Water Scarcity in Saudi Arabia: Policy Options for Continued
Success," at the Water Arabia 2015 Conference & Exhibition
being held at Le Meridien Hotel in Al Khobar, February 17-19, 2015.
The white paper highlights four major water reuse policy options to
governments including education and outreach, removing barriers,
incentives, mandates and regulations. GE also is showcasing its
advanced range of desalination and water reuse technologies at the
exhibition. Organized by the Saudi Arabian Water Environment
Association and the Water Environment Federation, the Water Arabia
2015 Conference & Exhibition is the headlining event in the
region, which hosts international and regional experts who discuss
the challenges, opportunities and trends in the water sector. This
year the theme is "Innovative & Reliable Water and Wastewater
Technologies for Sustainable Water Quality." Co-authored by
Colin Enssle, senior manager—Water and Process Technologies for GE
Power & Water, and Jon Freedman, global government affairs
leader—Water and Process Technologies for GE Power & Water, the
white paper presents the water reuse landscape in the kingdom, the
water reuse policy and regulations, a range of technology options
to address water reuse challenges and success case studies from
markets including Bahrain. It will be presented by Jon Freedman to
industry experts and governmental officials on February 18 at the
Water Arabia 2015 Conference & Exhibition. "GE's
industry white paper, developed following extensive research of the
kingdom's water landscape, underlines our commitment to support
Saudi Arabia in promoting water reuse, one of the strategies being
adopted by the government to address increased demand," said Heiner
Markhoff, president and CEO—water and process technologies for GE
Power & Water. "One of the challenges in implementing efficient
water recycling and reuse programs is to find reliable data and
information on policy options. The white paper presents strong
policy options that are available to governments as well as how
advanced technology platforms can help achieve the goal."
According to research reports, Saudi Arabia aims to increase water
reuse to more than 65 percent by 2020 and over 90 percent by 2040
by transforming its existing and planned wastewater treatment
assets into source water suppliers across all sectors. Valued at
over US$4.3 billion by Global Water Intelligence (GWI), the
kingdom's water reuse market is the third largest in the world.
Over US$66 billion in long-term capital investments have been
committed for water and sanitation projects in the kingdom in the
next 10 years, while the government aims to achieve 100 percent
reuse of wastewater from cities with 5,000 inhabitants or more by
2025. "Our recommendations complement the recently launched
National Water Strategy to address Saudi Arabia's water challenges.
With overall water reuse from treated wastewater at an impressive
30 to 40 percent, the kingdom has tremendous potential to enhance
water reuse by over seven times to 241 million cubic meters per
year," added Jon Freedman. The white paper highlights the
water reuse patterns in the kingdom with agriculture accounting for
the highest, followed by landscaping, industries and recreational
purposes. GWI reports that water reuse will increase at a compound
annual growth rate of 4 percent from 2,367 million cubic meters per
day to 5,834 million cubic meters per day in 2035. Water
reuse is promoted in the kingdom through governmental decrees as
well as the active participation of the private sector. The 9th
Development Plan aims to increase treated wastewater reuse to 50
percent as one of its key goals. A new water law establishes a
Supreme Council for Water Affairs and an independent regulator for
water resources and water services and creates a water management
department at the Ministry of Water & Electricity, which are
among the projected policy goals in the sector for this year.
"GE's white paper highlights many of the great steps the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has already taken, and discusses four
policy options that could serve as a valuable starting point to
evaluate the appropriate mix of policies that best fit the
kingdom's needs going forward," said Jon Freedman. The first
recommendation on promoting education and outreach focuses on
recognition awards and certification programs as well as
information dissemination and educational outreach. Removing
barriers highlights how financial, regulatory and technical
barriers to reuse can be overcome. Incentives as a policy option
evaluate the scope of direct subsidies, pricing mechanisms and
structuring water rights, while mandates and regulations restrict
potable water to human and food-related uses as well as encourage
utility companies to develop plans for recycled water. At
Water Arabia 2015, GE is presenting a range of technology options
that are highlighted in the white paper including membrane-based
systems and advanced chemistries for 70 to 85 percent recovery,
thermal evaporation, crystallization and biological systems for 98
percent recovery and state-of-the-art wastewater recovery systems.
With a strong industry track record in delivering over 800
million liters of water for drinking, irrigation and municipal uses
across the Middle East and North Africa, GE has been closely
associated with the region's water industry. The GE Saudi Water
& Process Technology Center in Dammam and GE Water &
Process Technologies Regional Center of Excellence in Jebel Ali in
the United Arab Emirates are among key regional investments by the
company in supporting the industry and meeting the growing demand
for water. GE delivers drinking water to about 1 million
people in Algiers daily through the Hamma Desalination Plant, one
of the largest membrane desalination facilities in Africa, and also
provides advanced technologies for the world's largest wastewater
treatment plant in Sulaibiya in Kuwait. The Sulaibiya plant now is
set to become the world's largest-of-its-kind facility that uses
membrane technology following an agreement with GE to drive its
expansion. To download a copy of the white paper, please go
to http://www.gewater.com/about-us/insights.html.
About GE GE (NYSE:
GE) imagines things others don't, builds things others can't and
delivers outcomes that make the world work better. GE brings
together the physical and digital worlds in ways no other company
can. In its labs and factories and on the ground with customers, GE
is inventing the next industrial era to move, power, build and cure
the world. www.ge.com About GE
Power & Water GE Power & Water provides
customers with a broad array of power generation, energy delivery
and water process technologies to solve their challenges locally.
Power & Water works in all areas of the energy industry
including renewable resources such as wind and solar; biogas and
alternative fuels; and coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy.
The business also develops advanced technologies to help solve the
world's most complex challenges related to water availability and
quality. Power & Water's six business units include Distributed
Power, Nuclear Energy, Power Generation Products, Power Generation
Services, Renewable Energy and Water & Process Technologies.
Headquartered in Schenectady, N.Y., Power & Water is GE's
largest industrial business. Join the conversation at our GE
Hewar blog: http://middleeast.geblogs.com/. Follow GE Power
& Water and GE's water business on Twitter @GE_PowerWater and
@GE_Water. For more information, contact: Angie
Hansen
Beth Coffman or Howard
Masto GE Power
& Water
Masto Public Relations +1 215 942 3511
+1 518 786 6488
angie.hansen@ge.com beth.coffman@mastopr.com
howard.masto@ge.com
A photo accompanying this release is available at:
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=30853
CONTACT: Angie Hansen
GE Power & Water
+1 215 942 3511
angie.hansen@ge.com
Beth Coffman or Howard Masto
Masto Public Relations
+1 518 786 6488
beth.coffman@mastopr.com
howard.masto@ge.com
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