ENGIE and NEOM join forces to advance desalination brine valorization solutions

Zawya

01-05-2025

ENGIE, a global leader in low-carbon energy and services, are collaborating with NEOM, the sustainable region in northwest Saudi Arabia, on advancing solutions for desalination brine valorization. This cross-border partnership addresses a key component of water sustainability in arid regions and extracting value from waste.
Under the terms of the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), ENGIE and NEOM will share expertise, testing results, and pilot installations aimed at developing desalination brine management practices. The partnership will harness advanced technologies, including advanced membrane solutions and crystallization systems, to explore the potential for valuable resource recovery from seawater brine by-products.
'Brine management is one of the critical challenges associated with desalination. By working with NEOM, who are ambitious in terms of scale and complexity, we are excited to explore new avenues for sustainable solutions that align with our broader mission of driving the energy transition,' said Olivier Sala, Vice President of Research & Innovation at ENGIE.
Gavin van Tonder, Managing Director of Water at NEOM, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration: 'NEOM is committed to accelerating global progress on sustainable water management. Partnering with ENGIE, we aim to advance necessary technologies that reduce environmental footprint of desalination while contributing to NEOM's vision of a sustainable future.'
This collaboration represents a step towards building a sustainable water resource management system, with the potential to scale these solutions to other regions facing similar challenges in water desalination.
About ENGIE
ENGIE is a major player in the energy transition, whose purpose is to accelerate the transition towards a carbon-neutral economy. With 98,000 employees in 30 countries, the Group covers the entire energy value chain, from production to infrastructures and sales. ENGIE combines complementary activities: renewable electricity and green gas production, flexibility assets (notably batteries), gas and electricity transmission and distribution networks, local energy infrastructures (heating and cooling networks) and the supply of energy to individuals, local authorities and businesses. Every year, ENGIE invests more than €10 billion to drive forward the energy transition and achieve its net-zero carbon goal by 2045.Turnover in 2024: €73.8 billion. The Group is listed on the Paris and Brussels stock exchanges (ENGI) and is represented in the main financial indices (CAC 40, Euronext 100, FTSE Euro 100, MSCI Europe) and non-financial indices (DJSI World, Euronext Vigeo Eiris - Europe 120 / France 20, MSCI EMU ESG screened, MSCI EUROPE ESG Universal Select, Stoxx Europe 600 ESG-X).
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Middle East press contact:
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About NEOM
NEOM is an accelerator of human progress and a vision of what a new future might look like. It is a region in northwest Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea being built from the ground up as a living laboratory – a place where entrepreneurship will chart the course for this new future. It will be a destination and a home for people who dream big and want to be part of building a new model for exceptional livability, creating thriving businesses and reinventing environmental conservation.
NEOM will include hyperconnected, cognitive cities, ports and enterprise zones, research centers, sports and entertainment venues and tourist destinations. As a hub for innovation, entrepreneurs, business leaders and companies will come to research, incubate, and commercialize new technologies and enterprises in groundbreaking ways. Residents of NEOM will embody an international ethos and embrace a culture of exploration, risk-taking and diversity.
For further information email [e-mail] or visit www.NEOM.com and www.NEOM.com/en-us/newsroom.