Kuwait plans to launch water desalination projects powered by solar energy on a 63ha plot of land north of Kuwait Bay, according to the director general of Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Dr Samira Omar.

The investment plan was revealed on the side-lines of the 13th Gulf Water Conference, held in Kuwait on 12-14 March, 2019. Dr Hamed Al-Azmi, Kuwait's Minister of Education, said the conference aimed to boost inter-GCC cooperation on water planning projects.

GCC countries, including Kuwait, depend on treated seawater for drinking and irrigation, among other purposes. Water desalination projects are picking up in the region as the countries, focused on future population numbers, seek to bridge the gap between water demand and supply.

During the conference, Kuwait appealed to its GCC neighbours to collaborate on desalinating seawater, as well as upgrading and nationalising desalination processes, state news agency, Kuna, reported.

Led by chairman Abdul Rahman Al Mahmoud, Kuwait's Water and Science Technology Association presented 80 papers on managing underground, overground, and desalinated water during the event.

Among Kuwait’s most notable utilities projects is the Shuwaikh water desalination plant, which processes 19.5 million imperial gallons of water per day.