Abengoa, the international company that applies innovative technology solutions for sustainability in the infrastructure, energy and water sectors, has exceeded 85% progress in the construction of Rabigh 3 IWP, 600,000 m3/d reverse osmosis desalination plant based in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia. The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the project was awarded to a consortium of Abengoa, SEPCOIII (Power China) and SIDEM (Veolia) in 2018.
ACWA Power, a leading developer, investor and operator of power generation and desalinated water plants worldwide, was selected as the owner and operator of Rabigh 3 IWP following the submission of the lowest water tariff at 0.53USD/m3. Upon completion, the desalinated water will be supplied to the state-owned Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC).
The completion of project is scheduled for the end of 2021, meeting the deadline committed to ACWA Power. Furthermore, to date, the project has exceeded two million safe man hours, showcasing the highest levels of safety standards and meeting the established health and safety objectives.
The project is part of the Saudi government's efforts to encourage private participation in the Kingdom’s water sector and will ensure the supply of drinking water to over three million people in Makkah Al-Mokarramah, Jeddah and Mastorah.
For Abengoa, the Rabigh plant will be the largest desalination plant built to date and once completed, the largest in the country built with reverse osmosis technology. In Saudi Arabia, the company has also built the desalination plant of Shuaibah, 250,000 m3/d, in operation since May 2019.
Abengoa is a leading company in the international desalination market, with an installed capacity of 1.7 million m3/d, which will be expanded to 4.3 million when the portfolio is completed. In the Middle East Abengoa is building the largest reverse osmosis desalination plant in the world, located in the Taweelah power and water generation complex, with a production capacity of 909,000 m3/d, and the desalination plant at the Emirates Global Aluminiun (EGA) industrial complex, with a capacity of over 41,000 m3/d, both in the United Arab Emirates, as well as the Salalah desalination plant, with a capacity of 114,000 m3/d, in Oman.
