Reborn Resource Tycoon

Chapter 477 Water is more expensive than oil

In late June, East China experienced constant rain and floods, threatening the normal order of production and life in the region. However, the Middle East at this time was sunny and sunny. In the afternoon, a round of scorching sun hung high in the air. The temperature will rise sharply above [-] degrees Celsius, and the extreme temperature may even approach or even exceed [-] degrees Celsius.In such weather, if one walks in an open area without shelter, it will not take long for a person to suffer from heat stroke, which can even be life-threatening in severe cases.

Fang Mingyuan, who stayed in Pengxu City for a while, was convinced that the extent of the flood was far less than that caused by the East China Flood in [-] in his previous life, so he had to rush to Kuwait under the repeated urging of Prince Abdullah.As for the distribution of relief supplies in Pengxu City and surrounding areas, they had to be handed over to Su Aijun and Lin Lian.For this reason, Su Aijun was quite dissatisfied—his Fengtong Railway reform plan was coming to an end, if Fang Mingyuan hadn't been caught by him, he would rarely even go home now.

For Fang Mingyuan's arrival, the royal family of Kuwait gave him a very high-level reception. If Fang Mingyuan hadn't sternly refused, Prince Abdullah would even have sent a special plane to China.Not only did Prince Abdullah go to the airport to greet him in person, he was also accompanied by a Deputy Foreign Minister named Nahal Urbach.

"My dear Fang, you are finally here." Prince Abdullah gave Fang Mingyuan a warm hug when they met.For Fang Mingyuan's arrival, there is no one who is happiest than him.Thanks to Fang Mingyuan's help, Prince Abdullah's status in the royal family is now different from what it used to be, and among princes of the same age, he is even more outstanding.Prince Abdullah knew very well that without Fang Mingyuan's guidance and help, it would have been impossible for him to improve his status so significantly in such a short period of time.

"Fang, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Nahal Urbach, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kuwaiti government." Prince Abdullah pulled Fang Ming away.

"Hello, Lord Wubach." After hearing Prince Abdullah's introduction, Fang Mingyuan was really taken aback.Although the country of Kuwait is small, it is also a country. As the government's deputy foreign minister, he is also a high-ranking official. If he goes to China, the deputy prime minister will probably have to meet him. It sounds a bit strange to actually come to the airport to greet him Unbelievable.

"Haha, Mr. Fang, I have heard Abdullah say your name many times. During the Iraqi invasion of our country, Mr. Fang helped us a lot. I am here, on behalf of the Kuwaiti government, to Mr. Fang Express my sincere thanks." Wubach finished speaking and gave Fang Mingyuan a very warm hug, "You are the closest friend of our Kuwaitis and Abdullah."

"No, no, uncle Nahal, Fang is my brother," Prince Abdullah shook his head repeatedly.

"Uncle?" Fang Mingyuan was a little surprised.

"Uncle Nahar is my mother's younger brother Fang, you can also call him Uncle Nahar in the future." Prince Abdullah explained to Fang Mingyuan in a low voice.If this Deputy Minister Wubach is the younger brother of Prince Abdullah's mother, isn't he Prince Abdullah's uncle?It was only then that Fang Mingyuan noticed that the two of them did look a bit alike.It was only then that Fang Mingyuan remembered that Kuwait was still a monarchy, and many of the cabinet ministers were members of the royal family or relatives married to the royal family.

"Okay, okay, I see, it's Abdullah your brother," Wubach said with a smile.For this nephew of his own, Wubach also valued it quite a lot, so for his persistence, Wubach also let him go.

What's more, this Fang Mingyuan, his deeds are now a bit bizarre in the Kuwaiti royal family.Abdullah was able to make friends with him, which can be regarded as an extra powerful foreign aid.In any case, China is also one of the five permanent members of the United Nations. Although its influence in the Middle East is far less than that of the United States and Britain, Kuwait must not be ignored.This Fang Mingyuan was able to make a fortune in China at a young age, and he has a bright future in the future.It can be said that Abdullah's friendship with him is beneficial and harmless.

The three talked and laughed and got into the car, drove out from the airport, and drove towards Kuwait City.

Fang Mingyuan noticed that there was a lot of construction going on near the coastline, so he couldn't help but take a few extra glances.Prince Abdullah noticed this, looked out of the window twice and said with a smile: "Fang, this is your first time in Kuwait, that is our seawater desalination plant. The evil Iraqis invaded our country and destroyed our country. Part of the desalination plant."

Fang Mingyuan knew that the Middle East was a water-scarce area, and water resources were quite scarce.In terms of land area, the Middle East accounts for [-]% of the world's land area, but the water resources here account for less than [-]% of the world's water resources, and most of them are concentrated in the Nile, Tigris and Euphrates river basins. and the Jordan Valley region.Drinkable fresh water is a rare and dwindling necessity throughout the Middle East, becoming an irreplaceable resource even scarcer than oil.

The climate here is dry, with very little rainfall. For example, Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is only about 20 kilometers away from the Mediterranean Sea, and the Nile River runs through the city, but the average annual precipitation is only more than [-] millimeters.Such low precipitation cannot meet the local water demand at all.

Therefore, in the Middle East, the price of water in various countries is generally more expensive than the price of oil.Fang Mingyuan remembered reading a report in his previous life, but he forgot which year it was. At that time, in Saudi Arabia, the largest oil country in the world, the price of a liter of No. 91 gasoline was about US$0, while the price of a liter of bottled drinking water The price goes up to about $12.In Egypt, the most populous country in the Middle East, the price of a liter of No. 0 gasoline is about 40 U.S. dollars, while the price of a liter of mineral water is about 90 U.S. dollars.In the United Arab Emirates, a major oil country in the Gulf, the price of a liter of gasoline is only about 0 US dollars, which is almost the same price as water.It may sound unbelievable, but this is the reality in the Middle East.

"Fang, I heard that there is a flood in your country?" Prince Abdullah asked curiously.

"Yes, tens of millions of people were affected, and the losses were heavy." Fang Mingyuan sighed, "In the past half a month, there have been heavy rains almost every two days, and even the city is full of water. Alas, Your water shortage here is so short that you need to desalinate water, but our place suffers from too much water, if only it can be evened out."

Both Prince Abdullah and Wubach took a deep breath. Although they knew that China had a large population, they were still quite shocked when they heard that tens of millions of people were affected by the disaster—the total population of Kuwait was less than 600 million, and the best half of them are foreign workers who came to Kuwait.

"Cough, this is the difficulty of each. Your place is flooded because of water, but our place is constantly fighting due to lack of water." Wubach said with emotion.

What he was talking about was the several wars in the Middle East. Israel and the Arab countries have never been able to live in peace. On the one hand, it is because of the land issue, and on the other hand, it is also because of the water source issue.60.00% of Israel's territory is desert, there is no rain for seven months of the year, and the per capita water resources are less than [-] cubic meters per year, which is less than a quarter of the per capita water resource indicators in the Middle East and only the world's per capita water resources. Three percent of the resource indicator.In order to obtain precious water resources, Israel would rather make enemies with neighboring countries than give in.

Moreover, it is not uncommon for Arab countries to have conflicts and frictions over water sources.

Moreover, after the Second World War, the relatively peaceful situation and the continuous development of scientific and medical technology have also kept the population of the Middle East much higher than the world average level-an average annual rapid growth of 1000%, and the ever-increasing population exacerbated water stress.Coupled with the over-exploitation of existing water resources in this region, the per capita water resources in this region has further declined, and water resources are stretched.According to statistics, the current annual per capita freshwater consumption in this region is only over [-] cubic meters, which is one-sixth of the world average.

It can be said that the Middle East uses only 5.00% of the world's water resources to feed the Arabs who account for [-]% of the world's total population. The problem of water resources has become a major obstacle to the economic development of this region. If it is properly resolved, it may even lead to a series of economic, social and political crises.Wubach is very clear about the danger involved.

Since the traditional water resources cannot meet the needs at all, these Arab countries have no choice but to rely on seawater desalination.Seawater desalination has a long history in this region and has achieved successful experience.Over the past decade or so, these Arab countries have invested tens of billions of dollars in the construction of seawater desalination plants and supporting water supply networks.What Fang Mingyuan saw just now were two seawater desalination plants under construction in Kuwait.

Fang Mingyuan knew that the seawater desalination technology in the Middle East countries had been quite developed after 2000, and the desalination cost had dropped to a few tenths of a dollar per cubic meter. It was said that nearly half of the people in Saudi Arabia relied on seawater desalination technology for domestic water at that time.It's just that this technology is completely useless for Huaxia.The arid regions of China do not rely on the sea at all, and the places near the sea do not lack water at all.

"How is it? Fang, are you interested in investing in our seawater desalination industry? I can guarantee you a full amount of profit," Prince Abdullah said with a smile.

Fang Mingyuan laughed dumbly and said, "Prince Abdullah, if possible, I would like to invest in your country's oil production industry, because my country needs oil more."