RIYADH: ACCIONA, a leader in regenerative solutions for a decarbonized economy, held its first panel discussion in its series of talks designed to promote regenerative and sustainable solutions in Saudi Arabia.

The event, held at the Spanish Embassy in Riyadh on April 28, brought together leading figures from across the sector, government, and businesses to showcase the importance of reverse osmosis technology in the water cycle.

The Riyadh event follows an inaugural panel discussion of a series, entitled “The Saudi Solution for Water Sustainability: Reverse Osmosis Desalination,” which explored achieving water sustainability in the Kingdom.

Panelists who participated included Khaled Al-Qourashi, CEO of the Saudi Water Partnerships Co., Khalid Al-Habib, chief investment officer of Water Transmission and technologies Co., ENGIE Saudi Arabia CEO Mohammed Alhajjaj, and Manuel Manjon, CEO of ACCIONA’s water business line.

The participants shared their experience in the sector and explained the importance of managing water resources efficiently to meet the needs of the growing population and expanding economy without compromising future generations’ ability to access clean water.

Given its arid climate and limited freshwater resources, Saudi Arabia relies heavily on desalination plants to meet its water needs.

The speakers emphasized how Saudi Vision 2030 highlights the importance of investing in desalination technology such as reverse osmosis, and of expanding the capacity of existing desalination plants to ensure a reliable supply of freshwater for domestic, industrial, and agricultural use.

Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s largest producers of desalinated water, with numerous desalination plants along its coastline. Reverse osmosis technology plays a vital role in addressing water scarcity challenges in the Kingdom by providing a sustainable and reliable source of clean water for different sectors and applications, contributing to the country’s economic development, environmental sustainability, and social well-being.

RIYADH: A second promotional video for “Grendizer U”, which returns 40 years after the original anime series, reveals various regions of Saudi Arabia appear in the show.

New designs for characters have also been unveiled and the broadcast date is planned for July.

The video was launched on Riyadh-based Manga Productions’ YouTube channel in Arabic, English, French and Italian. It can also be viewed on the official “Grendizer U” social media accounts via @GrendizerAnime.

Manga Productions’ CEO, Dr. Essam Bukhary, said: “We at Manga Productions, in collaboration with our partners in Japan, are pleased to introduce the character of Grendizer to future generations in a new and exciting way through the distribution and marketing of this work to global audiences. We hope for ‘Grendizer U’ in its new version to inspire the heroes of tomorrow worldwide.”

A strategic partnership between Dynamic Planning, which owns the rights to Grendizer, and Manga Productions was announced in 2022. This led to the unveiling of the character’s statue in Riyadh. Standing more than 33 meters high, it was recorded by Guinness World Records as the largest metal statue of a fictional character in the world.

The first teaser for the new series was launched at the Akiba Daisuki Festival in Tokyo in August 2023, with the initial promotional video following in December.

Last year, Manga Productions also released the game “UFO Robot Grendizer: The Feast of the Wolves” in the Middle East and North Africa, in cooperation with French company Microids.

The official English trailer on Manga Productions’ YouTube channel says the new series is based on Go Nagai’s “UFO Robo Grendizer.” 

The second video features the staff of “Grendizer U,” including General Director Mitsuo Fukuda.