Industrial sustainability and resource resilience have taken centre stage in the Middle East, with environmental security rapidly emerging as a cornerstone of economic sovereignty.
In a decisive move to accelerate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's resource preservation, environmental services leader Veolia has signed three strategic memorandums of understanding with premier national industrial entities: Acwa, Ma’aden, and Khazeen.
Announced on 1 September 2026, these landmark agreements establish an enhanced cooperation framework across advanced water technologies and hazardous waste treatment. Closely aligned with the national objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and Veolia's strategic GreenUp programme, the tripartite partnerships tackle several of the Kingdom's most urgent priorities: energy efficiency, industrial decarbonisation, the preservation of scarce water reserves, and the long-term cultivation of local technical capabilities.
High-Impact Partnerships Across Vital Sectors
The collaborative pacts target three pillar industries within the Saudi economy—water desalination, mining, and energy storage:
Acwa: Partnering with the world-leading private water desalination company, energy transition champion, and pioneer in commercial-scale green hydrogen to enhance desalination plant operations.
Ma’aden: Teaming up with the mining giant to overhaul the sector’s water cycle and industrial waste systems to promote economic diversification.
Khazeen: Collaborating with the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage specialist, a subsidiary of the National Gas and Industrialization Company (GASCO), to decarbonise nationwide infrastructure.
Reinforcing the critical nature of these initiatives, Estelle Brachlianoff, CEO of Veolia, highlighted the broader strategic imperative behind the agreements:
"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. 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," says Estelle Brachlianoff, CEO of Veolia.
Advancing Desalination Performance With Acwa
Water scarcity remains one of the region's defining challenges, making efficiency in desalination essential. Expanding on previous operational successes across regional facilities, Veolia’s memorandum of understanding with Acwa focuses on optimizing plant design and daily performance. The collaboration targets:
Upgrading energy efficiency across desalination facilities;
Optimising the application of chemical solutions and improving overall water quality;
Deploying state-of-the-art technical, digital, and operational practices.
Acwa’s operations currently manage a daily capacity of 9.7 million cubic metres—equivalent to 3,900 Olympic swimming pools per day. Through this partnership, the projected emissions reduction could reach up to 500,000 tons of CO₂ annually, an environmental benefit equivalent to taking approximately 110,000 conventional cars off the road, whilst significantly cutting operating costs and safeguarding regional water security.
Circular Economy and Industrial Decarbonisation
Beyond water production, the agreements introduce circular economy solutions to the Kingdom’s extractive and energy logistics sectors.
In the mining industry, Veolia is collaborating with Ma’aden to rethink supply chain sustainability. By implementing advanced water technologies, the partnership aims to treat and reuse industrial process water. Additionally, the agreement focuses on the management of hazardous waste, exploring material recovery, source reduction, and valorisation to establish closed-loop industrial systems.
Concurrently, the agreement with Khazeen deploys environmental technologies across its nationwide LPG storage facilities. Veolia will implement industrial water treatment and hazardous waste management solutions, alongside developing an integrated Facility Management offering covering water, energy, and waste for Khazeen’s commercial clients.
Five Decades of Environmental Stewardship
These strategic agreements consolidate Veolia’s half-century presence in the Kingdom. Operating in Saudi Arabia since 1975, the group has long managed essential infrastructure, including treating industrial wastewater from major petrochemical facilities at Jubail, the world’s largest industrial complex. Through sustained investments in water reuse, energy efficiency, and hazardous waste treatment, Veolia continues to anchor Saudi Arabia's transition towards environmental security and sustainable industrial growth.
Veolia signs triple accord to bolster Saudi's environmental security
Veolia has signed three strategic memorandums of understanding with premier national industrial entities: Acwa, Ma’aden, and Khazeen.
