Green Matters
Aramco conservation efforts continue to reduce water consumption
Global June 23, 2025 - By
A map of the Arabian Peninsula shows desert conditions with limited available renewable groundwater sources.
Embedding Sustainability
Aramco has long recognized the importance of preserving water, and water management has long been a pillar in the company’s long-term strategy.
Water is critical for the entire value chain of oil and gas operations, from exploration through production to refining and chemical production. Oil and gas fields are often clustered in relatively small areas, which may or may not coexist with easy access to water.
Energy companies must deal with many challenges, including the availability of local water resources, population growth, competing interests for water supplies, and climate change.
These challenges are more pronounced in Saudi Arabia where a desert environment provides limited renewable groundwater resources. With its roots in Saudi Arabia’s desert climate, Aramco has long recognized the importance of preserving water. Water management has long been a pillar in the company’s long-term strategy.
Our policies reflect our efforts
Aramco's efforts toward environmental protection began in 1963 with the launch of the Environmental Protection Policy, followed by the establishment of a Water Conservation Policy in 2011, updated in 2020, which includes Aramco's water conservation strategies.
Our water conservation efforts involve supplementing the water supply with alternative sources, increasing wastewater reuse, and decreasing water losses at operating facilities and communities.
Our performance demonstrates our efforts
To demonstrate our water conservation efforts, Aramco discloses freshwater consumption in its annual Sustainability Report. Freshwater is defined as the groundwater or surface water with a total dissolved solids concentration up to 2,000 milligrams per liter (mg/L), according to the IPIECA sustainability reporting guidance for the oil and gas industry.
In 2024, the Saudi Aramco Group (wholly owned and operationally controlled affiliates) consumed 83 million cubic meters of freshwater, showing a reduction of 7.7% compared to the 2023 figure, due to our conservation efforts. Recognizing the value of water, more than 60% of our freshwater consumption is sourced from regions that are not classified as water-stressed.
Freshwater demand for the company’s in-Kingdom operations is a small fraction of groundwater demand in the Kingdom. According to the Ministry of Water, Environment, and Agriculture, the Kingdom’s total groundwater consumption in 2023 was approximately 13.7 billion cubic meters, of which more than 70% is for agriculture and the rest is for industrial and residential purposes. Aramco freshwater consumption in the Kingdom is about 30 million cubic meters, which is about 0.2% of the Kingdom’s annual groundwater demand.
We also benchmark our freshwater consumption against our peers globally. The freshwater intensity for the Aramco Group was reported to be 0.02 m3/BoE, which is one of the lowest freshwater intensities per barrel among oil and gas producers. We have been investing in alternative water supplies to maintain this position.
We tap into seawater as an alternative
Aramco reduces freshwater consumption by using seawater as the primary source of water for oil production and to provide clean water for its workforce and local communities.
In the late 1970s, Aramco established the Qurayyah Sea Water Plant to inject seawater rather than groundwater into reservoirs for oil production. The treated seawater is conveyed through a complex pipeline network to hundreds of injection wells.
From Day 1 and throughout a series of expansions, the plant has been one of the world’s largest for reservoir pressure maintenance. Through this plant alone, Aramco has been able to conserve more than 160 billion gallons of groundwater annually since 1978.
We promote water circularity to enhance performance
Aramco uses wastewater as a resource to save precious freshwater. We recognize that water reuse and recycling investments are more sustainable solutions that help address water scarcity concerns and/or wastewater discharge limitations.
We aim to increase wastewater reuse by shifting from linear to circular business models to support water circularity. Today, about 70% of treated sewage effluent generated in our communities is being reused for beneficial purposes such as irrigation and makeup for cooling plants.
Riyadh Refinery, one of our largest refineries, treats 3.4 million gallons per day of tertiary effluent from the municipal Riyadh City Wastewater Treatment Plant. The treated water is used for refinery fire water, cooling tower water, and refinery boiler feed water.
The Jazan Refinery Complex is essentially a “zero-liquid-discharge refinery” in which 100% of generated industrial and sanitary wastewater is being treated and reused using advanced technologies and collaboration with a co-located power plant.
Next step in conservation efforts? Technology and innovation
Aramco strives to reduce the pressure on natural freshwater resources and increase their availability for future generations. It also has a comprehensive wastewater effluent treatment and monitoring program that aims to protect environment and public health.
We look to leverage innovative technologies and digital solutions to enhance water conservation efforts in the areas we operate.
