RIYADH: France’s Engie Group, Saudi Nesma Co. and Ajlan and Bros started on Sunday the construction of the 570,000 cubic meters per day Jubail 3B Independent Water Plant.
Located 65 km north of Dammam airport in Ƶ, the plant is commissioned by Saudi Water Partnership Co., according to a statement.
Upon its completion in 2024, the plant will supply water to the Riyadh and Qassim regions, under the terms of a 25-year water purchase agreement.
The Engie-led consortium was awarded the contract in June 2021 following its submission of a bid with a tariff of SR1.59 ($0.42) per cubic meter of potable water.
“The provision of desalinated water is an essential strategy in our nation’s objective to ensure secure water supplies across the Kingdom while meeting the goals of Vision 2030,” Khaled Z. AlQureshi, CEO of SWPC said.
“The Jubail 3B IWP plant will not only use reverse osmosis, a more energy-efficient process than traditional thermal desalination technologies but will also use renewable solar energy in place of traditional fossil fuels, helping to reduce its carbon footprint,” he added.
