Middle East’s Largest Water Desalination Membrane Plant Opens in KSA
The plant has the capacity to produce 300,000 membranes annually, with six integrated production lines aimed at meeting Gulf-region demand and serving the global market.
Saudi Arabia has inaugurated the Middle East’s largest water-desalination membrane production facility. The plant, located in Dammam’s Third Industrial City and developed by global membrane producer Toray Membrane Middle East, was launched by Eastern Province Governor Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz.
The factory is built around reverse-osmosis (RO) membrane technology—a critical component used in desalination systems to turn seawater into potable water. It has the capacity to produce 300,000 membranes annually, with six integrated production lines aimed at meeting Gulf-region demand and serving the global market. The plant is a joint venture between Abunayyan Holding and Japan’s Toray Industries, with investment exceeding SAR 1 billion, and is Toray’s second facility of its kind outside Japan.
Key objectives of the project include localisation of manufacturing inputs, which in this case targets around 70% Saudisation and local content, a reduction in supply-chain lead times by more than half, and energy-consumption improvements of 4-5%.
