King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) announced here today the launch of the first phase of the national initiative for water desalination by solar energy. This was announced at a press conference which was attended by Minister of Finance Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf, Minister of Water and Electricity Eng. Abdullah Al-Husayn, KACST President Dr. Mohammad Al-Suwaiyel and a number of officials. The initiative was developed in cooperation between KACST and American IBM company through the Joint Center for Nanotechnology Research. The initiative aims at finding solutions to the problems of energy and water at lowest costs. It also contributes to the national economy and reduces the dependence on oil and gas in the operation of plants which currently consume about 1.5 million barrels.
