Saudi Water Authority Wins Five Global Awards for Innovative Water and Energy Projects
Riyadh, October 18, 2026, SPA -- The Saudi Water Authority (SWA) has won five international awards for its innovative water and energy projects at the fourth Asian Water Awards and the Asian Power Awards 2026, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The awards recognized projects by the authority's Water Technologies Innovation Institute and Research Advancement (WTIIRA), the Saudi Water Innovation Center (SWIC), and Water Oasis. The projects focus on developing water technologies, recovering resources from desalination waste, improving energy efficiency, and promoting innovation across the sector. The awards reflect SWA's efforts to turn research innovations into practical technological solutions. They also provide international recognition of the impact of investment in research and innovation on improving quality of life and enhancing the sustainability of the water sector.
The awards covered several technological projects and innovation initiatives. These included the "Innovation of the Year" award for a project that enriches drinking water with magnesium extracted from seawater. The project uses a nanotechnology-based system being implemented for the first time worldwide on a large scale at the fourth phase of the Al-Shuaiba production system. The system has a daily production capacity of 400,000 cubic meters and serves more than 1.3 million people.
Another award, the "Water Technology Excellence Award (Research and Development)," recognized a project that produces sodium hypochlorite for water disinfection and high-purity hydrogen from desalination brine within a single technological system. The system reduces energy consumption by 25% compared with conventional systems. The authority also received an award for leadership in the circular economy for a pilot project to extract rubidium chloride from desalination waste using advanced separation and filtration technologies. The project achieves a recovery rate of 89.02% and a purity level of up to 99.984%. It offers opportunities to turn desalination waste into economically valuable mineral resources while reducing its environmental impact. Annual production is estimated at 17.95 kilograms, while the project's estimated net present value stands at around US$831,000 over 10 years.
In research infrastructure and innovation initiatives, Water Oasis in Rabigh won the "Water Innovation Hub of the Year" award. The facility provides a specialized environment for testing technologies and developing their applications. Covering more than 33,000 square meters, it houses over 23 advanced laboratories and large-scale pilot plants. It is also listed in Guinness World Records as the world's largest water innovation oasis.
SWIC won the "Collaborative Water Initiative of the Year" award for its role in attracting innovators through Miyahthon and developing water-related solutions. The initiative attracted more than 1,300 participants, who submitted over 766 ideas, with the involvement of more than 30 mentors, 10 judges, and five universities. Since its establishment, SWIC has helped establish 43 water-sector startups and received more than 400 innovative ideas from over 15 countries. It has also launched three specialized incubators in partnership with the National Water Company, the National Water Efficiency and Conservation Center (MAEE), and the Saudi Irrigation Organization.
The awards highlight the diversity of the Saudi Water Authority's innovation efforts, from developing technologies and improving resource efficiency to recovering valuable resources from desalination waste and creating environments to test new solutions. The practical value of these projects lies in their ability to move from research and testing to real-world application and operation, delivering measurable improvements in production efficiency and economic and environmental sustainability.
-- SPA
