Small classified pockets in a large plant
Operators carry a phone everywhere, and the chance of walking into a pocket without noticing is real. A handset that is rated for Zone 1 gas removes the need to remember where the boundary is.
Saudi Arabia · Power & Desalination
Explosion proof mobile phone for power and desalination sites in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia's desalination plants sit beside gas-fired power stations on the Gulf and Red Sea coasts, and the classified areas inside them are small and easy to forget. This page is for the engineers and HSE staff looking for an explosion proof mobile phone for power and desalination sites in Saudi Arabia, and it sets out where those areas are and what is asked of a handset. The IS-04Z1 is designed around intrinsic safety rather than a flameproof enclosure.
Launching Q4 2026 · IECEx and SASO programme in progress
Local approvalSASO · IECExIECEx · SASO in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
The site · Power and desalination
Explosion proof mobile phone for power and desalination plants
The main plants are Ras Al Khair, which combines multistage flash and reverse osmosis desalination with power generation and supplies the Ma'aden complex; the Jubail and Yanbu utilities run through Marafiq; Shoaiba and Shuqaiq on the Red Sea coast. Most of any plant of this type is safe area: the turbine hall, the evaporators, the membrane rooms and the control buildings. The classified areas are pockets. Fuel gas conditioning and metering skids are the clearest, with natural gas in group IIA. Hydrogen is the one that surprises people. Large generators are often cooled with hydrogen, and electrochlorination plants that make hypochlorite from seawater release hydrogen as a by-product, which is a group IIC hazard. Chlorine itself is a toxic gas rather than a flammable one, so it is handled through gas detection and entry rules rather than the Ex marking.
Sites and operators
- Ras Al Khair
- Hybrid desalination and power plant, supplying water to Riyadh and power to Ma’aden and the grid.
- Jubail and Yanbu
- Power and water utilities serving the industrial cities, run through Marafiq.
- Shoaiba
- Large Red Sea coast water and power station.
- Shuqaiq
- Red Sea coast independent water and power scheme.
- Saudi Electricity Company
- National grid operator and offtaker for much of the power.
- Contractors
- Turbine and membrane specialists, mostly on planned outage work.
Where the classified areas are
- Gas turbine fuel skids
- Natural gas filtering, heating and metering, group IIA.
- Generator hydrogen systems
- Hydrogen cooling and storage, group IIC.
- Electrochlorination
- Hydrogen released while making hypochlorite from seawater.
- Diesel and fuel oil storage
- Flammable liquids, often at lower probability.
- Battery rooms
- Hydrogen release during charging, depending on battery type.
- Turbine hall and evaporators
- Safe area for most of the plant, including the control rooms.
Built for local conditions
What a coastal utility asks of a handset
A utility plant is very different from a refinery. Most of it is safe area, but the handset has to cope with seawater, heat and a workforce that moves between classified and unclassified areas many times a day.
IP ratingIP68
Battery4,000 mAh
Camera50 MP
OSAndroid 16
Hydrogen is a group IIC question
The marking target is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, which includes hydrogen. The certificate will state the exact scope once issued, and the temperature class matters for hot piping near the fuel skids.
Salt spray at intake and outfall
Seawater intake structures and brine outfalls are wet, salty and exposed. IP68 sealing is specified with that in mind, and rinse-and-dry practice is worth agreeing with the operator.
Operators from several companies
Power and water trains on one site may be run by different companies under different offtake agreements. An enrolled handset can carry a separate profile for each operating team.
Long outages on planned schedules
Turbine overhauls and membrane replacements bring specialist contractors for weeks at a time. A handset that is enrolled before arrival carries the permit application and nothing else.
Use cases · Power and desalination
Where the IS-04Z1 goes to work at utility plants
Power01
Fuel gas skid inspection
Operators inspecting gas pressure regulators and meters record readings and photograph a seeping fitting. The record carries the position and time without needing a trip back to the control room.
Water02
Electrochlorination and dosing checks
An operator checking the hypochlorite plant needs to confirm ventilation and hydrogen dilution. The handset carries the checklist and takes the photograph in the area itself.
Outage03
Turbine and membrane overhauls
Planned work brings OEM specialists and local contractors together. Enrolled handsets carry the permit, the drawings and the daily report, and the camera policy follows the operator's rules.
Questions · Power and desalination
Frequently asked questions
Does chlorine make an area hazardous in the Ex sense?
Not by itself. Chlorine is toxic, not flammable, so it is managed with gas detection and entry rules. The hydrogen produced in electrochlorination is what drives the classification in those areas.
Is most of a desalination plant classified?
No. Most is safe area. A hazardous-area assessment will mark specific pockets such as fuel gas skids and hydrogen systems, and those are where a certified handset is needed.
Can one handset serve both power and water operators?
That is the intent of enrolment in an MDM console. Each operating team can apply its own profile while using the same hardware.
Has any utility approved the IS-04Z1?
No. It is pre-launch, certification is in progress ahead of Q4 2026, and no approval can exist before the certificate does.
Elsewhere in
Saudi Arabia
Enquiry · Power & Desalination
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Power & Desalination, Saudi Arabia
Tell us the site, the zone and gas group, and roughly how many handsets. The SAMS team replies by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule for Saudi Arabia. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and certification is in progress, so there is no list price yet; indicative pricing is issued in writing against a stated quantity and site.
Enquiry · Power & Desalination
Launching Q4 2026
Evaluating the IS-04Z1 for this site?
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule for your market.