The Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) has announced the signing of project agreements of the Jubail 3B Independent Water Plant (IWP).
The Jubail 3B IWP, a reverse osmosis desalination plant to be located in the Eastern Province, south of Jubail City, will have a water production capacity of 570,000 m3/day and will serve Riyadh and Qassim with potable water. The project will also include solar energy units to reduce power consumption from the grid, as well as water tanks with a storage capacity of one operational day.
In a company statement, His Excellency the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, & Chairman of the Board Directors of SWPC Eng. Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen AlFadley noted that the project further enhances active participation of the private sector in developing the vital water sector, increasing its contribution to the Kingdom development. Furthermore, the privatisation programmes improve the quality of services and the efficiency of capital spending, by utilizing the experiences of the private sector participation in this regime.
The SWPC announced last May the preferred bidder for the Jubail 3B IWP: a consortium of Engie (France) with local companies Nesma and Alajlan. The levelized water cost of the preferred bidder is SAR 1.59/cubic metre.
The CEO of the Saudi Water Partnership Company, Eng. Khalid Bin Zwaid AlQureshi, said the project commercial operation date will be in the first quarter of 2024, and the term of concession is 25 years.
Turki Al Shehri, CEO of ENGIE in Saudi Arabia noted “As a long-term positive energy partner to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ENGIE is proud to play an integral role in the development of large-scale infrastructure projects under the Kingdom’s public-private partnership scheme. We commend SWPC for continuing to encourage private sector involvement in public sector projects, working to transform and grow the Kingdom’s economy.”