Connecting Waterpeople

ACWA Power and SONES win contract to build SWRO plant in Senegal

  • ACWA Power and SONES win contract to build SWRO plant in Senegal
  • 300,000 m3/d SWRO development will be the largest desalination project of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa.

  • Supporting Senegal’s Gas-to-Power strategy, Cap des Biches-based CCGT plant will have an initial design capacity of 160 MW.

About the entity

ACWA Power
We are a developer, investor and operator of power generation and desalinated water plants with 49 assets in operation, construction or advance development. We employ over 3,500 people across 11 countries.

ACWA Power, a leading Saudi developer, investor, and operator of power generation, water desalination and green hydrogen plants worldwide, announced that it has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreements with both the National Water Company of Senegal (SONES) and the National Electricity Company of Senegal (SENELEC), in the presence of H.E. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, H.E. Eng. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Falih, Minister of Investment, and Mr. Fahd bin Ali Al-Dosary, the Saudi Ambassador to Senegal.

In close collaboration with SONES, ACWA Power will oversee the development of a 300,000 m3/d seawater reverse osmosis plant (SWRO) in Grande Côte. Located approximately 40 km North-East of Dakar, Senegal’s capital, the SWRO development will serve as the first desalination project in the country that is being facilitated on a Public-Private Partnership basis, as well as the largest desalination project of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The second MoU announced will see ACWA Power working closely with SENELEC to develop a Combined Cycle Gas-Turbine (CCGT) plant in Cap des Biches with an initial design capacity of 160 MW. In line with Senegal’s Gas-to-Power strategy, which aims to increase the country’s energy independence, reduce the cost of electricity, and provide universal access to electricity, the development of the new facility will furthermore assist the country’s efforts to reduce its GHG emissions by at least 23% by 2030.

ACWA Power will oversee the development of a 300,000 m3/d seawater reverse osmosis plant (SWRO) in Grande Côte

Charles Fall, Managing Director of SONES, said: "The signing of these agreements between the Saudi Group ACWA Power and the Ministry of Water and Sanitation, on behalf of Senegal is in anticipation of rapid demographic growth and consumer demand in the Dakar-Mbour-Thies triangle, which represents over 5 million consumers. The agreement we have just signed is above all an essential step taken in response to the demand for drinking water within the framework of the Plan Sénégal Émergent (PSE). Furthermore, this first PPP experience will have no impact on water prices. Last but not least, this partnership framework is a testimony of the strong cooperation ties between Saudi Arabia and Senegal and represents an opportunity for the local private sector through the creation of a Senegalese company operating under Senegalese law."

Mohammad Abunayyan, Chairman of ACWA Power, said: "We are deeply honoured to contribute towards the strengthening ties of Saudi Arabia, our home country, and Senegal via the signing of two landmark MOUs today and we extend our sincerest gratitude to the Senegalese leadership for their trust and confidence in ACWA Power’s abilities to realise these strategic projects for the country.  In line with our mandate to provide reliable delivery of power and desalinated water, ACWA Power is leveraging its global expertise to support the nation’s sustainable and socio-economic development for years to come."

As the largest private operators of water desalination plants in the world, ACWA Power today has a robust portfolio that collectively produces 6.4 million m3 of desalinated water per day and includes 10 mega-scale SWRO projects.

ACWA Power’s global power generation portfolio of 42.7 GW, comprises a mix of conventional power, natural gas, and renewable energy solutions. The company remains dedicated to its mandate to deliver reliable and sustainable electricity and desalinated water at a low cost across the countries it operates in.

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