Saudi Arabia builds a new era of water security through PPPs

Saudi Arabia’s water sector is undergoing one of the most ambitious transformations in the world. Over the past decade, the Kingdom has developed a structured public–private partnership framework that is redefining how essential infrastructure is financed, delivered and sustained.

A national imperative

With scarce rainfall, limited freshwater resources, and a rapidly expanding population, the Kingdom has long recognized that water security is as a foundation for national development.

To achieve this, the National Water Strategy 2030, launched under Vision 2030, introduced a unified framework aligning policy, regulation, and operations across the sector to strengthen governance, improve efficiency, and encourage private-sector participation. By 2030, the Kingdom aims to treat up to 10 million cubic meters a day of wastewater and reuse 70 percent, advancing a true circular-water economy.

Succeeding these ambitions requires partnership and innovation. The government defines strategy and ensures equity and environmental protection, while the private sector contributes expertise, financing, and technology to deliver sustainable water management solutions and long-term impact.

Public-private partnership as catalyst

Having developed water PPPs across the Gulf, Africa, CIS, Europe, and China — pioneering first-of-their-kind projects and seen firsthand how structured partnerships accelerate process and ensure long-term performance, it is clear that Saudi Arabia stands out for translating this balance between public stewardship and private efficiency into clear policy and measurable results across such a large and well-structured program.

At the core of PPP model, which enables each partner to focus on what it does best. The public sector defines national priorities, provides strategic oversight, and safeguards public interest, while private partners bring technology, finance, and operational expertise. When PPP project is well-structured with clear risk allocation and performance-based contracts, it reduces lifecycle costs, accelerates delivery, and ensures accountability for long-term results that endure long after construction ends.

Through the Saudi Water Partnership Co., the Kingdom has built a transparent PPP framework that continues to expand rapidly. Over the last years, SWPC has led the development of multiple independent water plants and independent sewage treatment plants under long-term concession models. According to their published 2024-30 roadmap report, more than 30 projects worth over SR60 billion ($16 billion) are planned under PPP structures.

Our projects in wastewater and water treatment, desalination, and non-revenue water management continue to demonstrate how public-private collaboration can deliver measurable, long-term impact.

Partnership in practice

A recent milestone exemplifies this success: the Dammam Independent Sewage Treatment Plant, developed by a consortium led by Metito Utilities alongside Mowah and Orascom Construction under a 25-year build–own–operate–transfer model. With a total investment cost of approximately SR920 million, the plant serves nearly 1 million residents in western Dammam, with a treatment capacity of 200,000 cubic meters per day, expandable to 350,000 cubic meters per day.

The plant incorporates modern technology such as Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge treatment and sustainable design features anaerobic digestion to convert sludge into biogas for on-site utilization complemented by solar drying greenhouses — innovations that minimize energy use, emissions, and lifecycle costs. It is a model of how PPPs can translate sustainability commitments into tangible results.

A shared path to resilience

PPPs may not solve every challenge, but they are an essential tool for delivering complex, capital-intensive projects that must perform reliably for decades. The path to water security is a shared one. Saudi Arabia’s leadership in establishing a large-scale, performance-driven PPP framework is setting a new global standard for collaboration between public vision and private innovation.

PPPs are long-term partnerships that build institutional capacity, strengthen local expertise, and help realize national visions such as Vision 2030. When both sides bring their strengths together, the result is greater than the sum of its parts — resilient, efficient, and future-ready systems that sustain economies, communities, and the environment for generations to come.

• Rami Ghandour is CEO of Metito Utilities.