JEDDAH — The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) has launched the first desalination plant using solar and wind energy in Saudi Arabia as part of efforts to preserve the natural environment for sustainable development by reducing carbon emissions. The project also aims to support the Saudi tourism sector which focuses on diversity and development in the line with the Kingdom"s vision seeks 2030. The chief administrator and spokesman of TRSDC, Ahmed Ghazi Darwish said the pioneering project was launched in cooperation with Source Global, a company that specializes in water desalination. The launch coincides with the boom the Saudi tourism sector is witnessing and the project will cover the tourists" demand for the distinctive Red Sea destination through various means, he added. According to the spokesman, the solar-powered desalination plant is the largest of its kind in the world, with a production capacity of 2 million 330 milliliter water bottles per year. The production of 300,000 bottles annually will begin in the coming years. He added that reusable bottles reusable glass bottles will be refilled within the plant as part of the sustainable distribution, noting that collecting and bottling water will contribute to achieving carbon neutrality and getting rid of non-recyclable plastic bottles. Darwish emphasized the company"s keenness for Saudi youth to have a major role in achieving these sustainable goals and to be part of them, noting that 30 job opportunities at the have been identified out of which at least 10 will be given to Saudis who will receive intensive on-the-job training. During the first phase of the plant’s construction, experts selected an ideal plot of land, and 100 hydrogen panels were placed after a virtual survey was conducted by specialists according to the plant’s specifications and requirements, the spokesman pointed out. Darwish also said that a total of 1,200 hydrogen panels will be added during the second and third phases, and the plant will be provided with necessary components and reusable bottles by companies operating in the Kingdom. He noted that the desalination technology used by TRSDC will fully depend on solar energy to raise condensation levels in the hydrogen panels in order to produce high-quality freshwater, adding that the performance of the panels will be monitored through a smart application that will show the volume of water produced, the environmental impact of the panels and maintenance alerts. — SG