A contract has been awarded to Al Rafid to supply a 400km water pipeline and AUMA actuators to provide over 250 part-turn worm gearboxes for butterfly valves. AUMA gearboxes are used wherever a 90° swivel movement is required for the operation of a valve or damper and manually generated torques of up to 56,000Nm can be achieved with the models supplied. Against the backdrop of chronic water shortage and a rising population, the Saline Water Conversion Corporation, which is responsible for supplying 50% of all municipal water in the region, has invested heavily in desalination. Provision of water supplies is a priority for Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia located on a plateau in a highly arid area at the heart of the Arabian peninsula. Dramatic expansion of the city, now home to 3,500,000 people, has depleted the area’s traditionally rich, natural water supplies. Saudi Arabia has addressed this situation by meeting 70% of the country’s drinking water requirements.