- His Excellency Eng. Abdulrahman bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Fadhli, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Water Partnership Company, inaugurated the plant.
- Jubail 3A has a total capacity of 600,000 m3/day, becoming the largest reverse osmosis desalination plant in commercial operation in Saudi Arabia together with Rabigh-3, also developed by Abengoa.
- It is the world’s largest desalination plant to be partially powered by solar photovoltaic renewable energy.
June 05, 2023 – Abengoa, the international company that applies innovative technology solutions for sustainability in the infrastructure, energy and water sectors, participated in the official inauguration of the Jubail 3A desalination plant on June 3, in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), after Saudi Water Partnership Co. (SWPC), the project developer, issued the desalination plant’s commercial operation certificate. Jubail 3A, located south of the city of Jubail, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, in the northeast of the country, is the largest desalination plant in the world that is partially solar powered. Abulnasser Refaei, Abengoa’s Human Resources Manager in Saudi Arabia, attended the inauguration ceremony of Jubail 3A on behalf of Abengoa.
The inauguration ceremony was presided over by his Excellency Eng. Abdulrahman bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Fadhli, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Water Partnership Company. His Excellency Eng. Al-Fadhli highlighted that projects such as Jubail 3A come to achieve the objectives and plans of the National Water Strategy to increase private sector participation in water production projects, supplying drinking water to all regions in the Kingdom.
Jubail 3A reached the commercial operation phase in April after successful completion of the plant’s contractual tests (in February). Today, the plant is already operating at full capacity, producing 600,000 m3/day of drinking water to meet the demand of a population equivalent of 3,000,000 inhabitants.
Abengoa, together with Tiejun, formed the EPC Contractor for the project, responsible for the construction and commissioning of the desalination plant. Abengoa has been responsible for the technological leadership, in charge of the engineering, supply, construction supervision and commissioning of the project for the pre-treatment, reverse osmosis process and post-treatment of the plant. The project has been completed for ACWA Power, the leading company in the development, investment, ownership and operation of power generation and desalinated water production plants.
In terms of health and safety, Abengoa reached the figure of two years without recording a lost time work accident during the project, a figure that demonstrates Abengoa´s uncompromising commitment to the highest Health & Safety standards.
Jubail 3A will be the first and largest desalination plant in the world to be partially powered by renewable energy generated by a solar photovoltaic plant (45.5 MWp) as part of Saudi 2030 vision to reduce Carbon Emission globally. Thus, the plant will produce drinking water in a sustainable and efficient way, being the first experience of Independent Water Project (IWP) in Saudi Arabia on a commercial scale.
The project includes seawater collection (11.5 km of pipes under sea), pumping station, pre-treatment, reverse osmosis system with energy recovery, post-treatment, product pumping station with 3,5 km of interface pipeline till delivery point, product water storage tank for one day of production, effluent treatment, outfall discharge and an integrated photovoltaic solar field, as well as the associated electrical installations, which include the construction of a 380/33 kV electrical substation and 13.5 km of OHTL.
Abengoa, world leader in desalination
This milestone reaffirms Abengoa as a world leader in desalination. Abengoa’s capacity to undertake and successfully complete projects of high technical complexity, as well as to adapt to adverse working conditions, providing an optimum response to the client’s requirements, is evident throughout its history.
Abengoa is also strengthening its presence in the Middle East, where it has a very extensive portfolio: in Saudi Arabia, Rabigh III (600,000 m3/day) (recognized by the Guinness World Records™ as the world’s largest reverse osmosis technology plant built to date) and Shuaibah III (250. 000 m3/day), both already completed; Dubal (47,750 m3/day), in operation and Taweelah (909,218 m3/day in total (phase one + phase two)), which is already producing water satisfactorily, in the United Arab Emirates; and Salalah (114,000 m3/day), in Oman, also completed.
Worldwide, Abengoa has an installed capacity of more than four million m3/day, which will be increased to four million when the desalination projects in the start-up phase are completed. In total, Abengoa has a portfolio of more than 30 desalination plants in 13 countries.
Abulnasser Refaei, Abengoa’s Human Resources Manager in Saudi Arabia, at the at the official inauguration ceremony of Jubail 3A.
Trophy awarded to Abengoa by its client in the Jubail 3A project, Jazlah Desalination Water Company, belonging to ACWA Power.