Environmental technology firm Veolia will work with three Saudi Arabian companies on helping them improve water quality in the desalination, mining, oil and gas sectors.

Veolia signed three memorandums of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on projects which align with the national Saudi Vision 2030 goals focused on water preservation, decarbonization and advancing circular economy actions. The companies are privately held water desalination firm Acwa, mining company Ma’aden and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) storage specialist Khazeen.

“Environmental security has become an essential condition for the sovereignty, competitiveness, and strategic autonomy of territories. In Saudi Arabia, this involves the ability to preserve every drop of water, decarbonize industrial development, and turn waste into resources,” Veolia CEO Estelle Brachlianoff said in a statement. “Through these agreements, and thanks to our cutting-edge technologies and solutions, we are taking action on a large scale to turn challenges into concrete and effective solutions, in line with Saudi Vision 2030. Our innovations and expertise are only effective when they find concrete applications in response to a territory's challenges and in support of its essential infrastructures.”

The MoU with Acwa will bring Veolia in to improve seawater desalination plant design, energy efficiency, water quality and chemical solution optimization. Acwa currently handles close to 9.3 million cubic meters of water treatment per day.

Veolia will aid mining operator Ma’aden in water cycle and industrial waste management. Treatment and reuse of industrial water will be the focus of the collaboration, although the technologies also will explore potential for source reduction, recovery and valorization of materials to create circular loops.

Khazeen is a subsidiary of Saudi national gas and industrial firm GASCO. A specialist in LPG storage, Khazeen and Veolia work on deploying environmental technologies which can help customer decarbonization operations. Those include industrial water treatment and hazardous waste management.

Veolia has worked in Saudi Arabia for 51 years as the kingdom expanded its economic goal. Once the world’s biggest oil extractor and now second only to the U.S., Saudi Arabia has sought to diversify its economy into sports, tourism, logistics and technology sectors while also dealing with worldwide criticism of its political and religious structures.

Limited freshwater access has forced the nation to rely on desalination of ocean water for much of its drinking and industrial water. The 10-year-old Saudi Vision 2030 government initiative is aimed at reducing the economy’s reliance on oil while diversifying its economy and culture, according to reports.