Acciona breaks ground on major Saudi desalination plant

Spanish renewables firm Acciona has laid the foundation stone for Shuqaiq-3 independent water project (IWP) in Saudi Arabia, it said in a statement.

Developed in co-ordination with Marubeni Corporation and Almar Water Solutions through Abdul Latif Jameel CDC and Rawafid Alhadarah Holding Company, the project's engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) stage is scheduled for completion in 2021.
 
Once operational, the reverse osmosis (RO) plant will boast a capacity of 450,000 cubic meters (cu m) drinking water per day.

“Shuqaiq-3 will guarantee the supply of drinking water to more than 1.8 million citizens, and thus contribute to the economic and industrial development of the Kingdom,” the statement said.

As part of the project's social outreach measures, in the first few years, the consortium will offer academic and practical training to residents in the area to nurture the development of water industry professionals in a region so in need of projects of this kind.

“Additionally, Shuqaiq-3 will create several thousand jobs from the start of construction until the end of the 25-year concession,” the statement further added.