U.A.E. – U.A.E.’s energy minister Suhail Al Mazroui announced that the country, which signed a peace agreement with Israel on Sep 15, may collaborate with Israel in the fields of water desalination and solar power. The UAE was the first member of the Gulf Cooperation Council to seek a peace deal with Israel. (S&P Global)

U.S.A. – California American Water (Cal Am) has withdrawn its application for a desalination project in the Monterey Bay town of Marina. The proposal was set to vote last week and had become one of the most fraught issues to come before the California Coastal Commission. The project has the support of conservationists, major farming and business groups, including hotels and developers in the region.

Critics of the project questioned whether it was fair to continue burdening some coastal communities with industrial projects while others are gentrified. Opponents emphasized that the water project itself would not even supply the residents of Marina, but could burden taxpayers with $1 billion over the next 30 years. Critics urged Cal Am to consider a public recycled water project, Pure Water Monterey, which became operational this year and instead expand that project to meet Cal Am’s needs. (Los Angeles Times)

U.S.A. – The Santa Ana Regional Water Board has postponed a vote on issuing a permit for the Poseidon’s proposed Huntington Beach desalination plant.  The board was scheduled to meet last week to make a decision on the waste discharge permit renewal, but Poseidon requested more time to address concerns raised in last month’s public hearings. Poseidon informed the board that it expects to complete its evaluation within 45 to 60 days. (Los Angeles Times)

SAUDI ARABIA  – ACWA Power has won the contract to develop the multi-utilities infrastructure that will cater to the Red Sea Project in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia. The Red Sea Project, which will be developed on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis, includes solar power generation, electricity storage, water desalination, wastewater treatment, networks, district cooling and solid waste treatment. In the first phase of the project, power and desalination production capacity will reach 210 MW and 30,000 m³/d, respectively and will be expanded to 360MW and 50,000 m³/d in the second phase. (Power Technology)

_{The water pipeline tunnel system pumping desalinated water to reservoirs in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Credit: SWCC}

SAUDI ARABIA  – After 19 months, construction of the longest desalinated water pipeline tunnel system in the world has been completed. The tunnel is 12.5 kilometres long with a width of 8.4 meters. It will pump desalinated water to reservoirs in Taif to meet the water needs in the governorate and in the villages in the southern Al-Baha region. The project was carried out by the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) and has shortened the distance of water transportation to Taif by more than 40 kilometres. (Arab News)