Middle East Seawater Desalination Investments Hit a Record

The Gulf Reinvests in Water

Seawater desalination investments in the Middle East have set another historic record in the first half of 2026. According to Global Water Intelligence, the value of projects tendered or financially closed in the region in the first six months of the year exceeded 38 billion dollars. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman host roughly 45 percent of the world's desalination capacity.

Why So Much Growth?

The pace of urbanisation, industrial strategies and changing climate conditions are making seawater treatment indispensable:

Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030" plan envisages 1.5 million new homes
The UAE's annual population growth is multiplying per capita water consumption
Traditional aquifer use has reached unsustainable levels
Shifts in agricultural policy have prioritised drinking water
Green hydrogen projects demand large volumes of pure water

Mega Projects

Notable projects in 2026:

Saudi Arabia, Yanbu 4: 600,000 m³/day, among the world's largest
Saudi Arabia, Ras al-Khair expansion: 2 billion dollars in additional capacity
UAE, Taweelah B: 909,000 m³/day, a global leader
Qatar, Umm Al Houl expansion: serving the LNG sector
Oman, Sohar 4: a pilot integrated with renewable energy

The vast majority of plants are now built on reverse osmosis. Conventional thermal methods (MSF, MED) are quickly giving way to membrane-based systems. In 2010, about 70 percent of the region's desalination capacity was thermal; by 2026 the share has fallen to 25 percent.

Energy Consumption Halves

New-generation reverse osmosis plants are far more efficient than examples from a decade ago. Typical energy consumption trends:

2015 RO plant: 3.5-4.0 kWh/m³
2020 RO plant: 2.9-3.3 kWh/m³
2026 new-generation RO: 2.0-2.4 kWh/m³

The main drivers of efficiency gains are high-recovery membrane modules, isobaric pressure exchangers, AI-based process optimisation and renewable energy integration. A significant share of the new plants in Saudi Arabia and the UAE are moving to hybrid models fed directly by large on-site solar farms.

Environmental Concerns Persist

Desalination has two key environmental drawbacks: the impact of high-salinity brine on marine ecosystems and the disposal of process chemicals. In semi-enclosed seas like the Gulf, brine discharge raises local salinity and stresses marine life. New regulations:

Make diffuser-equipped discharge systems mandatory
Encourage salt extraction through brine recovery units
Make marine ecosystem monitoring a tender requirement
Set minimum standards for pipeline length and depth

Market Structure

Tenders in the region are largely financed through EPC and long-term off-take models. In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) is a key coordinator. Major global water firms enter tenders by forming consortia with local partners. The market share of Chinese and South Korean firms has grown rapidly over the past three years, particularly in equipment and membrane supply, where Asian players compete on price.

Implications for Turkey

Turkey's seawater desalination capacity is relatively small compared to its coastline length and population density. Existing plants serve mostly tourist resorts, islands and industrial clusters. Long-term water stress scenarios in Marmara, the Aegean and the Mediterranean could put urban-scale desalination on the agenda. Three themes stand out for sector stakeholders: energy-water integration models (especially on the southern coast where renewable energy is abundant), maturing brine management regulation, and scaling up domestic engineering capacity to enable participation in Gulf tenders.