Saudi Arabia’s National Water Company announced revised residential, non-residential and government wastewater tariffs on 31 October, with the highest consumption tier priced at SR3 per cubic metre and the changes scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2027 (Saudi Gazette).
The tariff adjustment affects plant operators and procurement teams that need to model treatment and conveyance costs for industrial, commercial, municipal and government wastewater services. The announcement provides tiered consumption rates and meter-diameter charges, but it does not report a plant capacity, wastewater strength, flow profile or project scale (Saudi Gazette).
Key takeaways
- The revised wastewater tariffs take effect on 1 January 2027 (Saudi Gazette).
- Wastewater consumption charges rise from SR0.50 per cubic metre in the first tier to SR3 per cubic metre in the fourth tier, which covers monthly consumption exceeding 45 cubic metres (Saudi Gazette).
- Wastewater meter-diameter charges range from SR10 for meters up to 20 millimetres to SR50 for meters exceeding 100 millimetres (Saudi Gazette).
- Saudi Arabia is separately preparing to host the Innovation Driven Water Sustainability Conference 2026 in Jeddah from 14 to 16 December, with treated-wastewater reuse among its agenda topics (شبكة تواصل الإخبارية, ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English).
What happened
New consumption and meter charges
The National Water Company announced tiered wastewater charges for residential, non-residential and government subscribers, with the revised schedule scheduled to begin on 1 January 2027 (Saudi Gazette).
The four wastewater consumption tiers are SR0.50 per cubic metre, SR1 per cubic metre, SR2 per cubic metre and SR3 per cubic metre, with the last tier covering monthly consumption exceeding 45 cubic metres (Saudi Gazette).
| Wastewater charge | Reported amount |
|---|---|
| First consumption tier | SR0.50 per cubic metre |
| Second consumption tier | SR1 per cubic metre |
| Third consumption tier | SR2 per cubic metre |
| Fourth consumption tier | SR3 per cubic metre |
| Meter diameter up to 20 millimetres | SR10 monthly |
| Meter diameter from 21 to 40 millimetres | SR20 monthly |
| Meter diameter from 41 to 65 millimetres | SR30 monthly |
| Meter diameter from 66 to 100 millimetres | SR40 monthly |
| Meter diameter exceeding 100 millimetres | SR50 monthly |
Each additional meter unit carries an additional SR10 wastewater charge, while subscribers can obtain tariff details from the National Water Company’s website, its unified telephone service or its smartphone application (Saudi Gazette).
Broader water-sector activity
The tariff announcement came as separate coverage detailed preparations for the Innovation Driven Water Sustainability Conference 2026, organised by the Saudi Water Authority and scheduled for 14 to 16 December in Jeddah (شبكة تواصل الإخبارية, ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English).
The conference is expected to draw more than 10,000 participants and 250 speakers, with an exhibition featuring over 150 international brands (شبكة تواصل الإخبارية, ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English). Tariq Al-Ghafari, the authority’s vice president for research and emerging water technologies, described the conference as an opportunity to connect new technologies with financing and operational expertise, paving the way for wider adoption (شبكة تواصل الإخبارية).
Planned construction and engineering projects in the water and wastewater sectors exceed $1.2 trillion, according to the conference coverage (شبكة تواصل الإخبارية, ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English). Discussions are expected to address treated-wastewater reuse, circular-economy practices, artificial intelligence, digital technologies and data analytics for water management (شبكة تواصل الإ_newsive).
MEED separately reported on 31 October that Saudi Arabia was gauging interest for an Al-Ula wastewater expansion, although the supplied coverage is restricted to a subscription notice and does not provide project scope or figures (MEED). A second supplied MEED page likewise contains only subscription and login information, so no further technical or commercial detail can be verified from it (MEED).
Specification read
The tariff announcement does not report a wastewater plant’s scale, so no defensible conversion to cubic metres per day or population equivalent can be made from the published figures. The fourth tariff tier applies to monthly consumption exceeding 45 cubic metres, but that threshold is a billing band rather than a treatment-plant design flow and cannot establish capacity or population served (Saudi Gazette).
For a conventional treatment train, the relevant stages are screening, primary clarification, biological treatment using a process such as A2O, MBBR, SBR or UASB, and tertiary treatment or disinfection; DAF or ZLD may be relevant where the process objective requires it. This tariff event bears directly on operating-cost modelling for metering, conveyance and service charges, while it does not specify any equipment, process upgrade or capacity expansion (Saudi Gazette).
If your plant looks like a non-residential or government wastewater connection with monthly consumption above 45 cubic metres, higher service rates and meter-diameter charges are the reported cost inputs to put into operating budgets before 1 January 2027 (Saudi Gazette). For a municipal wastewater plant, the tariff change is relevant to whole-life operating-cost assumptions; for an industrial wastewater plant, it is relevant where the facility’s commercial or non-residential service classification applies. Buyers should request flow in cubic metres per day, BOD and COD in milligrams per litre, sector classification and compliance obligations before matching equipment to the revised tariff model, because the announcement supplies none of those plant-design inputs (Saudi Gazette).
FAQ
What wastewater tariff applies above 45 cubic metres per month?
The fourth consumption tier charges SR3 per cubic metre and covers monthly wastewater consumption exceeding 45 cubic metres. The rate takes effect on 1 January 2027. Operators should distinguish this billing threshold from plant design flow: the published tariff does not report the volume that will be treated, and it does not include BOD, COD or capacity information (Saudi Gazette).
How much will meter-diameter charges add?
Monthly wastewater meter-diameter charges are SR10 for meters up to 20 millimetres, SR20 for 21 to 40 millimetres, SR30 for 41 to 65 millimetres, SR40 for 66 to 100 millimetres and SR50 for meters exceeding 100 millimetres. Each additional unit carries an additional SR10 charge (Saudi Gazette).
Does the announcement include a wastewater plant expansion or equipment order?
No. The announcement revises water and wastewater service tariffs but reports no plant capacity, treatment process, equipment package, procurement award or delivery schedule. Equipment selection therefore requires separate information on flow in cubic metres per day, wastewater characteristics, operating conditions and applicable compliance requirements (Saudi Gazette).
Can suppliers use the December water conference to develop Saudi business?
The Innovation Driven Water Sustainability Conference 2026 is scheduled for 14 to 16 December in Jeddah, with treated-wastewater reuse among the topics expected to be discussed (شبكة تواصل الإخبارية, ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English). However, the announcement reports no exhibition fee, supplier-selection process or project lead time, so suppliers should treat the event as a business-development and technology-exchange opportunity rather than evidence of an imminent award (شبكة تواصل الإخبارية).
