2011 Bahrain Country Commercial Guide - US - Export.gov

Water Desalination
Overview Return to top
Bahrain is a desert island on the Zone C aquifer stretching all the way to Riyadh. Many
years of heavy demand in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have significantly depleted the
aquifer, threatening its long-term viability and allowing seawater to infiltrate. The "sweet
water" for which Bahrain was long famous is now brackish and requires treatment before
use as drinking water or as process water for industry.
Bahrain currently uses more than 110 million gallons of water per day, or 41.3 billion
gallons per year. The local water supply comes mainly from non-renewable
groundwater extraction. Supply barely exceeds demand; when routine maintenance
work was performed in March 2007, there were rolling water shortages for several
weeks. Two-thirds of Bahrain‘s water is supplied through desalinization, and the
remaining third comes from the underground aquifer. Approximately 86 million gallons,
desalinated and blended, are for drinking purposes. Industries, agriculture, and private
gardens use the rest. Pilot projects are underway to use treated effluent for irrigation.
The Government aims to have all agricultural water produced this way in the future.
In October 2011, the Higher Commission of Electricity and Water under the Ministry of
Energy announced that it expected water consumption in Bahrain to reach an estimated
140 million gallons per day by 2018. Current water project initiatives in the Commission
budget involve the new Dour water production plant, a water pipeline from ALBA, and
plant expansion for the Ras Abu Jarjur water desalinization facility. The Ras Abu Jarjur
expansion is expected to yield an additional 16 million gallons of water per day. ALBA
already supplies an estimated 7 million gallons per day to the national water network,
and is expected to increase its supply to 9 million gallons by the end of next year.
Best Prospects Return to top
The Commission program to upgrade Bahrain's desalination and effluent treatment
infrastructure provides opportunities for U.S. companies. Increasingly, water and power
production are being integrated through the construction of dual-use plants like those in
Hidd and Manama. Water production through desalinization is an energy intensive
procedure, making it ideal for integration with power generation facilities. The
Government subsidizes 60-65 percent of the cost of water to consumers.
Bahrain aims to reduce the abstraction of its scarce ground water resources by building
a new water plant in the Hidd area, which will have the capacity to produce 60 million
gallons per day. The current production at Hidd is 30 million gallons per day. The
second phase of the Al Hidd desalination plant will be opened in the first quarter of
2012..
Opportunities Return to top
The Commission program to upgrade Bahrain's desalination and effluent treatment
infrastructure provides opportunities for U.S. companies. Increasingly, water and power
production are being integrated through the construction of dual-use plants like those in
Hidd and Manama. Water production through desalinization is an energy intensive
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