RIYADH —

Almar Water Solutions, part of Abdul Latif Jameel, has been awarded a contract to develop a desalination plant in the city of Shuqaiq, on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. Over $600m will be invested in the project, creating 700 jobs, in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and its objectives to increase investment and employment opportunities.

The large-scale plant will have a capacity of 450,000 cubic meters per day, guaranteeing reliable drinking water for over 1.8 million citizens. Scheduled for completion in Q4 2021, the project will be developed under a 25-year build-own-operate (BOO) scheme contract.

A consortium comprising Marubeni Corporation, Abdul Latif Jameel Commercial Development Company, Acciona Agua and Rawafid Alhadarah Holding Co. signed the Water Purchase Agreement during a ceremony in Riyadh last Jan. 28.

Fady M. Jameel, Deputy President and Vice Chairman of Abdul Latif Jameel Company, added: “Innovative energy-intensive water schemes are essential to meeting the rising demand of our region and the world’s growing population for water. With decades of proven international expertise in this field, we are committed to providing the people of Saudi Arabia with sustainable and effective water solutions. We look forward to the completion of the project, which will guarantee safe and reliable drinking water supply for over 1.8 million people.”

According to the World Bank, the Middle East and North Africa is home to 6% of the world’s population and less than 2% of the world’s renewable water supply, and includes twelve of the world’s most water scarce countries. Almar Water Solutions is committed to becoming a global leader in the water solutions sector, addressing the water security needs of the region and the world’s growing population through a sustainable program of desalination, water and waste water treatment and recycling and reuse initiatives. — SG