A 25-year water purchase agreement has been signed by an Acwa Power -ed consortium with the Saudi Water Partnership Company, for a greenfield sea water reverse osmosis desalination project. The consortium includes Gulf Investment Corporation and AlBawani Water & Power Company.
The agreement was signed by Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen A. AlFadley, minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and chairman of the Board Directors of SWPC.
On completion, the Jubail 3A Independent Water Plant (IWP) will boast a capacity of 600,000cu/m of potable water/day, and will contribute to the country’s efforts to ensure water security.
The water project will be delivered by Acwa Power, Gulf Investment Corporation and Al Bawani, while the Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) contract has been awarded to a consortium comprising Power China, Sepco-III and Abengoa.
As per the partnership agreement, the consortium led by Acwa Power will design, construct, commission, operate and maintain the desalination plant, as well as associated potable water storage and electrical special facilities, said the statement from Acwa Power.
“In alignment with our mission to ensure adequate water production capacity for Saudi Arabia, we are keen to work closely with Acwa Power, a Saudi company with international expertise, as our trusted partner. Jubail 3A is a highly significant project for the Saudi water sector, featuring storage facilities as well as in-house solar power to reduce any burden on the energy grid. It will also be crucial in meeting growing water demand, supplying Riyadh, Qassim and the Eastern Provinces with much needed potable water,” said Saudi Water Partnership Company CEO Khaled Al Qureshi.
Acwa Power CEO Paddy Padmanathan pointed out that building sustainable water security is a key priority for the kingdom. He added, “We are well positioned to ensure long term availability and supply of reliable, low-cost water resources needed to advance socio-economic progress.”
He stated that Acwa Power would continue to contribute strongly to the Kingdom’s National Water Strategy 2030 and Vision 2030, by utilising its considerable global expertise to provide solutions that best support national interests.
“We are delighted to collaborate with SWPC on this major project and are confident that the Jubail 3A IWP will play a significant role in enhancing critical water infrastructure for the country. Desalinated water makes up 63% of water consumed in Saudi Arabia and Acwa Power is a leading industry player in the Kingdom’s water sector. It has been entrusted with several major desalination projects in the country including the Rabigh IWP, Shuqaiq IWPP and the Shuaibah plants,” stated Padmanathan.