Saudi Arabia suspends privatisation of desalination and power plant

Saudi Arabia has suspended the privatisation of the Ras Al Khair desalination and power plant, one of a number of state assets that the government aimed to sell to reduce pressure on capital spending and diversify revenues away from oil.

“This decision was made in order to capitalise on knowledge and capacity built in the Kingdom as a result of many years of experience in the areas of water desalination, new technologies, R&D (research and development) and supply chains”, said the Privatization Supervisory Committee for the Environment, Water and Agriculture sectors.