Jubail 3A independent water desalination plant, located in Jazlah has become the first-of-its-kind project in Saudi Arabia to integrate photovoltaic (PV) solar power for its water desalination processes.
ACWA Power has collaborated with Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC) and ALBawani Water&Power Company (AWP) to launch the Jubail 3A independent water desalination plant, also known as Jazlah Water Desalination Company. The plant has received the commercial operation certificate from Saudi Water Partnership Co. (SWPC) and will officially commence its full-time operations.
With an estimated budget of $650 million, the plant has the world efficiency record of 2.8 kWh/cubic meter of water that uses abundant resources of Arabian Gulf Seawater. The Jazlah project comprises a 45.5 MW solar PV power generation facility that accounts for 20% of the plant’s energy consumption.
The plant uses reverse osmosis (RO) technology and the incorporation of advanced PV. The RO technologies in the plant’s operations will pave the way for a significant reduction of 60,000 tons of carbon emissions annually. This is believed to impact both social and economic advancement in accordance with the ambitious Saudi Vision 2030.
In its statement, Saudi Arabia attributed the project’s success to ACWA Power (40.2%), Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC) (40%), and AlBawani Water & Power Company (AWP) (19.8%). Further,the project was a success due to the collective efforts of the EPC consortium, consisting of Power China, Sepco III, Lantania, and Abengoa, with SWPC serving as the offtaker of the plant’s output.
