The RO production facility came on-stream in December 2015 to better serve the local Saudi Arabian market and to help meet growing demand for RO in the Middle East and Africa, as well as in Eastern Europe, India, China and Southeast Asia.
“Through rapid urban economic growth, annual domestic water demand in the Middle East and North Africa countries is estimated to more than triple over the next 20–30 years,” said Yochai Gafni, business unit director for RO at DW&PS, a business unit of Dow. “To combat regional water scarcity challenges and address this growing resource demand, Jubail Operations will help deliver a robust local supply of cutting-edge technologies for municipal and industrial water applications.”
Dow’s wholly owned Jubail Operations is located in Jubail Industrial City II within the Sadara Chemical Co complex, the joint venture developed by Dow and Saudi Aramco. The plant manufactures Filmtec RO elements for seawater and brackish water desalination and for water reuse of potable, non-potable and industrial water.
“The Jubail Operations replicates and builds on the state-of-the-art production technology employed in Edina, Minnesota, USA, and adds a high technology investment to the Kingdom,” said Chuck Swartz, president for Dow in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “It is also creating jobs for Saudi talents.”
Dow’s investment in the DW&PS Jubail Operations complements its activities at the Dow Middle East Research and Development Center at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), where research on RO solutions in combination with ultrafiltration pretreatment for seawater desalination is taking place.