Growing Demand for Desalinated Water in Bahrain

Demand for desalinated water is expected to increase in the Middle East. Since the government has made significant plans for meeting and growing the water demand for the next 15 years, it is anticipated that by 2030, the entire output of desalinated water, particularly in the Kingdom of Bahrain, would increase by roughly 72%.

As desalination is the only method accessible in the region, Gulf Arab states rely largely on it for their water supplies.

According to the French Institute of International Relations, which also adds that the UAE depends on it for 42% of its supply, Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia all depend on desalinated water for a portion of their supplies.

The research predicts that by 2030, the desalination capacity of Middle Eastern countries would have tripled.  In light of the fact that desalination plants require electricity produced from natural gas in order to run their operations and meet their energy requirements, it is more difficult to control C02 emissions.

NEOM, which will only be powered by clean and renewable energy, is one example of how Gulf states are starting to prepare for the future by transitioning to solar energy. Although the Gulf states have the advantage of having an abundance of oil and gas, they lack fresh water, which leads to desalination techniques that are potentially harmful to the environment.