Hussayen, Minister of Water and Electricity, has said the Supreme Economic Council is expected to approve the privatization of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC). Al-Hussayen, who made the remarks in a press conference at a symposium in Jeddah Saturday, said SWCC had begun restructuring six sectors, a process dependent upon the privatization decision which has been awaited for one-and-a-half years. “The ministry will connect up to 60,000 houses in Jeddah to the sewage network by the end of this year and the rest of the houses in the governorate in three year's time,” he said. He also said the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs would approve the introduction of alternative building materials that reduce energy consumption. “Air conditioners consume 70 to 80 percent of the Kingdom's daily power supply,” he said, adding that the Al-Khafji Desalination Plant is designed to produce 300,000 cubic meters of solar energy, with nanotechnology also used in solar energy production. Al-Hussayen said the water network leaked 20 percent of total volume, leading the ministry to replace plastic pipelines with steel ones. Dams being built out in Tihama and Laith, he said, would act as a main source of fresh water for Makkah and feed the desalination plants in Shoaiba. The minister also noted that SWCC had begun purchasing locally-manufactured spare parts. “They are cheaper and save the corporation both money and time,” he said.
