The Spanish multinational conglomerate, ACCIONA has completed the construction of the Saudi Water Partnership Company’s (SWPC) Shuqaiq 3 Independent Water Project (IWP) Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) desalination in Saudi Arabia.
The SWRO plant is the region’s first large-scale plant that uses highly energy-efficient pure reverse osmosis technology. It will supply up to 150 Hm3 (gigaliters) of high-quality water annually, meeting the demand in the Asir and Jizan provinces, which are home to nearly 4 million people.
The plant, which has now started operating in full capacity, is a key project in the modernization of the water sector that is currently being carried out by the SWPC of Saudi Arabia.
ACCIONA is the Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) contractor for the Shuqaiq 3 IWP desalination plant, which will produce 450,000 cubic meters of potable water per day. The project also includes the EPC of a large Electrical Special Facility (ESF) to feed the plant with the power and some other additional installations from the existing power plants in the vicinity.
Julio de la Rosa Director – Water Business ACCIONA Middle East
“We are very proud to contribute with the measures implemented by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to rationalize water consumption as part of its Vision 2030 program with the aim of reducing consumption up to 43 percent by the end of the decade. Thanks to the reverse osmosis technology, this project will help also to reduce the CO2 footprint.”
Commenting on the completion of construction, Mr. Mazen Bachir, EPC Director for the Water Division, ACCIONA Middle East, stated, “This milestone is the result of exceptional collaborative teamwork between the owner, the client, the owner’s engineer and the project team.”
Recognized across the water sector as one of the most complex, innovative and sustainable plants in its class, in September 2019, Shuqaiq 3 was awarded the “Utilities Project of the Year” at the Middle East Energy Awards 2019 held in Dubai, UAE, consolidating its position as one of the region’s flagship projects.
Saudi Arabia is the third biggest consumer of water per capita in the world, after the US and Canada. According to ACCIONA’s latest Sustainability Report, the total production of desalinated water in the Middle East region will be 13 times higher in 2040 than in 2014. In a region with serious water shortages, the demand for desalinated water is growing in response to climate change and an increasing population.
ACCIONA is a global company, a leader in the provision of regenerative solutions for a decarbonized economy. Its business offer includes renewable energy, water treatment and management, eco-efficient transportation and mobility systems, resilient infrastructures, etc. The company has been carbon neutral since 2016.
