Saudi Arabia Sets Global Benchmarks in Water Sector with Two Guinness World Records

   Riyadh, June 17, 2025, SPA -- The Saudi Water Authority (SWA) has received two Guinness World Records certificates, marking new milestones that underscore the Kingdom’s global leadership in the water sector.
   The records were presented during a ceremony held yesterday at the authority’s headquarters in Riyadh, attended by Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Alfadley and a delegation from Guinness World Records.
   The first record recognized the world’s largest seawater desalination plant using reverse osmosis (RO) technology, part of Phase II of the Al-Khobar Production System project. The plant has a production capacity of 670,852.4 cubic meters per day and was constructed on the smallest land area globally for a facility of its scale, achieved through advanced technical methodologies and value engineering. The record was officially registered on February 25, 2025.
   The second record was achieved by SWA's Technical Affairs and Projects Sector for attaining the lowest energy consumption rate for an RO-based desalination plant. The plant recorded just 1.7 kWh per cubic meter during the salt separation stage, with a total energy consumption of 2.34 kWh per cubic meter—the lowest ever recorded worldwide. This milestone was documented during the construction of the Shuaibah Plant (Phase V) on April 22, 2025, and was commended by the World Bank. With this, the authority surpassed the Kingdom’s previous record of 2.27 kWh per cubic meter, setting a new global benchmark.
   These two new accomplishments bring SWA's total number of Guinness World Records to 11, reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s status as a global hub of excellence and innovation in the water sector and highlighting its pivotal role in shaping a more sustainable future for water resources.
   -- SPA