Fresh water for people in a desert city

The water transmission system for Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is one of the largest of its kind. With a new major pipeline, the people of the desert city will receive another means of reliable freshwater supply. Sulzer provides custom-built pumps to transport the water to its destination.

Skyscrapers tower under a deep blue sky. In the heart of the buzzing city, you’d never think you’re in the middle of a desert. Riyadh, home to seven million people, is the thriving capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Few cities have developed as rapidly as Riyadh, from a small isolated desert village into the innovative metropolis it is today.

The challenge of all great cities

As the city of Riyadh develops further and becomes a home for more international and faster-growing communities, it becomes faced with the challenge of all great cities. Rapid population growth and urbanization place pressure on the infrastructure, energy demands and water needs.

Its location in the desert brings about an even greater challenge for their vision, facing obstacles in logistics and infrastructure. Imagine leveraging water sources that are hundreds of kilometers away from the destination!

A journey of hundreds of kilometers

A functioning water supply is the key element of a flourishing city. Saudi Arabia is home to one of the world’s largest water transmission systems in the world.

Water is extracted from the Arabian Gulf that stretches across a vast area of 1’000 km (620 miles) in the eastern province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The water is treated in desalination plants. After treatment, hundreds of kilometers of pipelines lead the valuable fresh water to Riyadh, moved forward tirelessly by highly efficient pumps.

The new Jubail-Riyadh water pipeline will supply the people of Riyadh with potable water, pumped through the desert all the way from the Arabian Gulf.

A foresighted customer

Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), a major desalination company in Saudi Arabia, understands the challenges that come with a thriving city and its growing population. To enhance the water supply for future demands, the foresighted customer planned to build a new major pipeline to add to the existing giant water transmission system.

Sulzer was brought in early on in the project phase and provided its fluid engineering expertise to transport the water efficiently within the 412-km-long twin pipeline from the city of Jubail to Riyadh. With the help of its high-efficiency and easy-to-operate pumps, the new pipelines will deliver 1.2 million m³ of potable water per day for the population and for industrial usage.

Enabling communities to thrive, grow and expand

A project as ambitious as the Jubail-Riyadh water transmission system requires careful planning to navigate and overcome potential challenges. With planning and execution well underway, Sulzer is proud to be able to play a key role in supplying water that enables communities to thrive, grow and expand for the future.