Saudi Water Authority partners with Ebb Carbon to launch world-first desalination
Breakthrough project delivers carbon removal, increased freshwater production, and industrial
chemicals from desalination waste
Jubail, Saudi Arabia – Wednesday 19 November 2025 – Ebb, a pioneering water technology
company, has partnered with the Saudi Water Authority (SWA), the government entity
regulating the Kingdom’s water sector, to decarbonize desalination at an unprecedented scale.
With Saudi Arabia accounting for 22% of global desalination capacity, the partnership targets
megaton-level CO₂ removal within the next decade while improving freshwater recovery and
overall plant efficiency.
By integrating Ebb’s electrochemical system with Saudi Arabia’s desalination facilities, the
partnership aims to transform desalination brine into a valuable resource that supports
sustainable growth, water security and decarbonization. The initial deployment will take place at
SWA’s state-of-the-art research and development facility in Jubail at The Water Technologies
Innovation Institute and Research Advancements (WTIIRA), one of the world’s foremost centers
for next-generation desalination technology.
With Saudi Arabia accounting for 22% of global desalination capacity, this milestone project will
establish the foundation for scaling across SWA’s national desalination network, directly
advancing Vision 2030’s goals of environmental sustainability, economic diversification, and
technological innovation.
Ebb enters this partnership with extensive validation from multiple U.S. pilots, including multi-
year demonstrations with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory (PNNL) and Project Macoma in Washington state.
Desalination is essential to the Kingdom’s water security and economic development and
continues to expand rapidly to meet rising demand—with capacity projected to increase 10%
from 16 million to 17.8 million cubic meters per day by 2030. Historically, the brine produced by
desalination has had no value—treated simply as a waste byproduct of freshwater production.
Now, through its partnership with Ebb, the Saudi Water Authority is transforming this brine into a
valuable resource, using innovative electrochemical technology that integrates seamlessly with
existing desalination systems.
Ebb’s electrochemical system converts desalination brine into three valuable products: caustic
soda, hydrochloric acid, and a low-salinity brine that can be recycled back into the desalination
process to extract additional freshwater. Both the caustic soda and acid can be reused within
desalination plants or supplied to nearby industries—including aluminum refining, energy
operations, and other industrial processes critical to the Kingdom’s economy. The caustic soda
can also be used to enhance seawater alkalinity, kickstarting a natural process that permanently
removes CO₂ from the atmosphere. This innovation supports the Kingdom’s broader goal of
developing a circular, self-sustaining industrial ecosystem, turning what was previously
considered waste into a source of national value.
By integrating Ebb’s technology with its desalination infrastructure, the Saudi Water Authority is
unlocking new environmental value for the Kingdom. SWA’s desalination plants have the
potential to remove 85 megatons of CO₂ each year, directly contributing to Saudi Arabia’s Vision
2030 Net Zero objectives, while increasing plant efficiency. Beyond carbon removal, the process
also helps restore ocean chemistry by lowering acidity levels caused by excess atmospheric
carbon—benefiting marine ecosystems in the Arabian Gulf. These outcomes build on scientific
studies conducted in the United States, which demonstrated measurable improvements in
ocean chemistry when Ebb’s process is deployed.
“This partnership represents a transformative moment for both desalination and carbon removal.
By integrating Ebb’s technology with SWA’s desalination infrastructure, we’re proving that
addressing water scarcity and climate change aren’t competing priorities—they’re
complementary solutions. SWA’s forward-thinking approach demonstrates how the desalination
industry can unlock immense value and be a critical part of addressing some of the world’s most
complex challenges profitably.” Ben Tarbell, Ebb’s CEO and Co-founder.
“This groundbreaking partnership demonstrates how Saudi Arabia is leveraging its position as
the world’s largest desalinated water producer to create entirely new industries. The technology
can be manufactured locally, creating jobs and reducing our reliance on imported chemicals,
while our deployment establishes a model for the broader GCC region and water-scarce nations
worldwide. We are not simply adopting technology – we are building a domestic carbon removal
industry that supports government priorities’ economic diversification and positions the Kingdom
as an exporter of climate solutions.” Tariq Alghaffari, SWA Vice President for Research &
Promising Technologies.
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About Ebb
Ebb is pioneering electrochemical water technology that tackles two of the world’s most urgent
challenges: the growing demand for freshwater and the need to remove gigatons of carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere. By leveraging existing global desalination infrastructure, Ebb’s
approach can unlock billions of tons of CO₂ removal potential annually while simultaneously
increasing freshwater production. Ebb was founded in 2021 by leading scientists, engineers,
and seasoned climate tech entrepreneurs with more than six decades of combined experience
developing and scaling breakthrough clean technologies at SolarCity, Tesla, and Google X.
About SWA
The Saudi Water Authority is the competent authority in the Kingdom for all water system affairs
at the supervisory and regulatory level and strategic support for the sector through regulatory
oversight and supervision, sustainable water management, improving services, enhancing
capabilities and economic growth, innovation and technology, and environmental protection.
