ACWA Power consortium signs 25-year water purchase deal for Saudi desalination plant

ACWA Power-led consortium, including Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC) and Al Bawani Water & Power Co. (Albawani), signed a water purchase agreement with the Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) for a greenfield sea water reverse osmosis desalination project in Jubail.

With an investment of $650 million, the Jubail 3A Independent Water Plant (IWP) will have a capacity of 600,000 cubic meters of potable water/day.

Under the 25-year agreement, the consortium will design, construct, commission, operate and maintain the desalination plant as well as associated potable water storage and electrical special facilities.

“The Jubail 3A IWP, with storage facilities and in-house solar power, will reduce any burden on the energy grid, and will be crucial in meeting growing water demand, supplying Riyadh, Qassim and the Eastern Provinces with potable water,” Khaled Al Qureshi, CEO, SWPC said.

Along with creating new employment opportunities for locals in construction, operations and maintenance fields, Jubail 3A IWP will also contribute towards enhancing local content capabilities by utilizing local manufacturing to meet relevant needs.

“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,” Paddy Padmanathan, President & CEO of ACWA Power, said.

The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract has been awarded to a consortium consisting of Power China, SEPCO-III and Abengoa.