By 1985, Saudi Arabia had 24 desalination plants, including 17 plants on the western coast along the Red Sea and 7 plants on the east coast along the Arabian Gulf. These plants were producing 1.82 million m3/day and 3,630 MW of electric power. More than 70 per cent of that country’s water needs are provided by desalination, and its plants currently generate more than 4,600 MW of electric power. In 2008, the total amount of desalinated water produced by Saudi Arabia was an estimated 10.6 million m3/day.