KUALA LUMPUR: The Saudi Water Authority has won five international awards for projects focused on water technology, energy efficiency and recovering valuable resources from desalination waste. The authority, through its research arm, the Water Technologies Innovation and Advanced Research Institute (Watira), received the awards at the fourth Asian Water Awards and the 2026 Asian Power Awards in Kuala Lumpur. Among the recognised projects was a drinking-water enrichment system that uses nanotechnology to extract magnesium from seawater. The project won the “Innovation of the Year” award and is being deployed on a large scale for the first time globally at the Shuaibah Production System — Phase Four. The facility has a production capacity of 400,000 cubic metres of water per day and serves more than 1.3 million people, according to the authority. Another project recognised in the “Excellence in Water Technology — Research and Development” category produces sodium hypochlorite, used in water disinfection, and high-purity hydrogen from desalination brine within a single system. The technology reduces energy consumption by 25 percent compared with conventional systems. The authority also won the “Leadership in the Circular Economy” award for a pilot project that extracts rubidium chloride from desalination waste using advanced separation and filtration technologies. The project has a reported recovery rate of 89.02 percent and purity of up to 99.984 percent. Annual production is estimated at 17.95 kilograms, while its net present value is projected at about $831,000 over 10 years. The Water Oasis in Rabigh received the “Water Innovation Centre of the Year” award. Covering more than 33,000 square metres, the facility houses over 23 advanced laboratories and large-scale pilot plants used to test technologies and develop their applications. It is listed in Guinness World Records as the world’s largest water innovation oasis. The “Waterthon” initiative won the “Collaborative Water Initiative of the Year” award after attracting more than 1,300 participants and generating over 766 ideas. The initiative involved more than 30 mentors, 10 judges and representatives of over five universities. The Saudi Water Innovation Center has helped establish 43 water-sector startups and received more than 400 innovation ideas from over 15 countries, the authority said. It has also launched three specialised incubators in partnership with the National Water Company, the National Center for Water Efficiency and Conservation, and the General Organization for Irrigation. The awards recognise the authority’s work to turn research into practical applications, improve resource efficiency and develop economically and environmentally sustainable uses for desalination by-products.