- ACWA Power’s Jazlah Water Desalination Company obtained the Commercial Operation Certificate on the 10th of April
- The plant successfully passed all the necessary contractual tests led by Abengoa and entered commercial operation on the 28th of February.
- 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.
April 12, 2023 – Abengoa, an international company that applies innovative technology solutions for sustainability in the infrastructure, energy and water sectors, has achieved the Commercial Operation of Jubail 3A desalination plant and transferred it to ACWA Power´s O&M company NOMAC, after successfully completing the plant’s contractual tests on the 28th of February. Its client, ACWA Power´s Jazlah Water Desalination Company has obtained the Commercial Operation Certificate on the 10th of April. Jubail 3A desalination plant is located south of the city of Jubail, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, in the northeast of the country.
Abengoa achieved 100% availability during the Dependable Water Capacity Test that established the Commercial Operation Date on the 28th of February, following on the successful completion of the 30-day Reliability Test Run. The plant has been producing 600,000 m3/day of drinking water to meet the demand of a population equivalent of 3,000,000 inhabitants and represents the first project launched by Saudi Water Partnership Co. in the Eastern Province.
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-treamtent 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.
Abengoa also 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 three 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.
About Abengoa
Abengoa applies innovative technology solutions for sustainability in the infrastructure, energy and water sectors. (www.abengoa.com)
