Protecting the Red Sea since day one.
All four SAWACO plants are located in Jeddah, in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia, on the shores of the Red Sea. This sea is home to diverse coral reef ecosystems that play a vital role in supporting marine life, and we have treated their protection as part of our responsibility from the start.
A legacy of care
In our early years, we worked with international consultancy Dames & Moore to give MEPA, the national environmental regulator at the time, a full scientific model of how brine discharge affects the sea. Regular dive inspections at our North Obhur plant followed, building years of photographic evidence. Marine life still thrives inside our brine Mixing Zone, including soft corals that have become rare along Jeddah's coast.
Today: a dedicated ESG framework
Our ESG department oversees environmental compliance across all four Jeddah plants: North Obhur, CROP, SSCity and SOJECO.
- Fully permitted: every site holds a valid NCEC environmental permit.
- Regulation-aligned: operations follow Saudi Water Authority guidelines.
- Carbon-aware: we monitor our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
- Ocean-focused: marine monitoring continues at our coastal operations.
Environmental permits (NCEC)
| Plant (Jeddah) | Permit No. | Valid Until |
|---|---|---|
| North Obhur | EPOPP-2024-003374 | May 2027 |
| CROP | EPOPP-2025-012727 | Aug 2028 |
| SSCity | EPOPP-2024-007952 | Jul 2027 |
| SOJECO | EPOPP-2025-012797 | Aug 2029 |
Our sustainability journey
We understand our impact and are committed to reducing it. That commitment is aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 17.
“Environmental sustainability is a cornerstone of SAWACO’s long-term desalination operations.”