In May 2017, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House) reported, citing the newspaper The Peninsula, that Qatar and Sweden planned a joint renewables-powered desalination project. The target was a water cost of USD 1 per m³. Plans called for 200 MW of wind and 200 MW of solar capacity. Lead partners named were Monsoon Energy and Sweco from Sweden plus Kahramaa and the Qatar Electricity and Water Company. Workshops were to follow talks between Qatari energy minister Mohammed Saleh Al Sada and Swedish vice trade minister Oscar Stenström.
The report showed how the Gulf was starting to pair desalination with wind and solar power in 2017, with one dollar per cubic metre set as the benchmark.