Fleet of GE mobile water treatment equipment heading to Saudi Arabia

The equipment, which will be operated though a joint venture business, includes mobile reverse osmosis (RO) systems for seawater and brackish water desalination, multi-media pretreatment, and clean-in-place (CIP) systems. This will allow for the quick provision of temporary or emergency water filtration equipment to municipal and industrial clients.

"Citizens and businesses in Saudi Arabia are facing unprecedented water supply and water quality challenges as the nation's population and economy continue to grow at a rapid pace," said Ralph Hadley, General Manager, Middle East and Africa for GE Water & Process Technologies. "GE's mobile water treatment equipment will enable us to help areas struggling with aging water treatment infrastructure or inadequate treatment capacity to quickly install temporary treatment systems that will efficiently and reliably produce high quality water while permanent solutions are developed."

Held in 40-foot (12-meter) cargo containers, each seawater and brackish water desalination unit will be capable of treating up to 1000 m3 (264,000 gallons) of water per day. Al Tamimi Group will store the units at strategically located depots in Jeddah and Dammam and will be able to deploy a mobile systems to a customer within hours of receiving a request. Once on site, a mobile system can often be connected and be fully operational on the same day as it arrives. The systems will be operated through a GE and Al Tamimi joint venture business.

The mobile units are anticipated to provide significant relief for municipalities that occasionally rely on tankers to deliver water during periods of short supply. GE's mobile water trailers can be quickly set up to provide additional potable water to the tankers and to residents during a crisis situation. The mobile units will also help industrial sites ensure a consistent supply of demineralised water for manufacturing processes. Aging infrastructure and seasonal changes in feed water quality are among the biggest obstacles faced by industry in obtaining high purity water for their processes.

Mohammed Abiad, General Manager, Al Tamimi Group, commented, "Rapidly deployed mobile water systems mean businesses no longer have to shut down, due to a shortage of sufficient treated water. Continuing operations is at the heart of this new offering in Saudi Arabia."

In addition to supplying the mobile water filtration equipment, GE will also provide all the consumables required for the ongoing operation of the fleet. GE currently operates mobile water filtration units throughout the Middle East, with clients in Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Pakistan.