Shuaiba Expansion II water projects kick off

Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Emir of Makkah, has inaugurated Shuaiba Expansion II IWP as part of a number of water projects in Makkah.

ACWA Power, the leading developer, owner, and operator of power generation and water desalination plants — and developer of Shuaiba Expansion II IWP — announced the commercial operation of the plant in May 2019, ahead of scheduled date. Diligent work by the ACWA Power teams and constant support from the Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) — the off taker of the project — ensured completion of plant before the holy month of Ramadan.

The plant was completed within 21 months only; setting a new record for large-scale reverse osmosis plants. Shuaiba Expansion II IWP will help meet growing water needs of the overall Western Region in the Kingdom through the production of 250,000 m3 of water per day.

Commenting on the occasion, Mohammad Abunayyan, chairman of ACWA Power, said: “Stemming from our continued commitment to meet the power and water desalination needs of Saudi Arabia, we are extremely proud to maximize local content reaching 100% of operations led by Saudi teams.”

“This falls in line with our mission to achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 as well as our constant support to the wise Saudi leadership who are devoted to the socio-economic and industrial prosperity of the Kingdom and its people. We are proud that the plant was completed safely, which reflects our safety standards and corroborates the fact that our people and their safety always come first,” Abunayyan added.

The plant recorded high energy efficiency savings that exceeded the contractual terms of the project — adhering to and aligning with the efforts of Vision 2030 to conserve energy in the long term.

ACWA Power also owns and operates Shuaiba IWPP, the first IWPP developed following the Saudi government’s decision to open the market to private investment, which generates 900 MW of power and 880,000 m3/day. In addition, ACWA Power completed the 150,000 m3/day Shuaiba Expansion IWP in 2009.