ACWA Power along with its partners Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC) and AlBawani Water and Power Company (AWP), have officially inaugurated Jubail 3A independent water desalination plant (Jazlah Water Desalination Company), after receiving the commercial operation certificate from Saudi Water Partnership Co. (SWPC), to mark the start of full-time operations.
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The first of its kind in the Kingdom due to its integration with photovoltaic (PV) solar power, the Jazlah company project was inaugurated under the patronage and in the presence of His Excellency Eng. Abdulrahman bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Fadhli, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Water Partnership Company.
The $650 million Jazlah company project, located in Jubail, has achieved an exceptional world efficiency record of 2.8 kWh/cubic metre of water using Arabian Gulf Seawater.
The groundbreaking project marks the first Independent Water Project (IWP) in the eastern region with a production capacity of 600,000 cubic meters of desalinated water per day to meet increasing water demands.
Jazlah encompasses a 45.5 MW solar PV power generation facility, which will account for 20% of the plant’s energy consumption and will deliver clean water to over three million people at a record-breaking tariff of 0.41 USD/m3, using reverse osmosis technology.
The plant’s utilisation of advanced PV and RO technologies will reduce carbon emissions by 60,000 tons per year supporting sustained social and economic advancement in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
The project achieved 40% local content with a total expenditure of SAR 1.5 billion, further demonstrating ACWA Power's contribution to the growth of the Saudi domestic ecosystem of suppliers and manufacturers.
Additionally, the project employs 100% Saudi nationals and further contributes to the growth of a skilled and educated workforce through a cooperative university program which invites students from esteemed universities to undergo training at the plant.
By partaking in this program, students acquire essential skills and expertise, empowering them to seamlessly transition into the labour market upon graduation.
Jazlah company project was successfully delivered through a development consortium comprising ACWA Power (40.2%), Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC) (40%), and AlBawani Water and Power Company (AWP) (19.8%).
The execution of the project involved the EPC consortium of Power China, Sepco III, Lantania, and Abengoa, while SWPC is the offtaker. ■