Acciona has laid the foundation stone for the Shuqaiq-3 desalination plant, which when completed will be one of the largest desalination plants in the Kingdom. Once operational, the reverse osmosis (RO) plant will boast a capacity of 450,000cu/m of drinking water per day.

The plant is an independent water project (IWP) that is being developed with Marubeni Corporation and Almar Water Solutions, through Abdul Latif Jameel CDC and Rawafid Alhadarah Holding Company. It is being developed on the Red Sea coast, the project’s EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) stage is scheduled for completion in 2021, a statement from Acciona said.

The ceremony was attended by several representatives and officials from Spain including the Councilor for Economic and Financial Affairs of the Spanish Embassy in Riyadh, José Ramón Ferrandis Muñoz besides José Díaz Caneja, CEO of Acciona Agua business line; Jesús Sancho, Acciona ME managing director and Manuel Manjón, Acciona business development director.

Shuqaiq-3 will guarantee the supply of drinking water to more than 1.8m citizens and will contribute to the economic and industrial development of the kingdom, the firm stated. The project is said to represent an important milestone both at the economic and at the social responsibility level. Given its scope, the project is expected to create several thousand jobs from the start of construction until the end of the 25-year concession, the statement said.

Company officials noted that as countries in the Middle East are aligned with international protocols on climate change and carbon emission reduction, it is important to ensure a sustainable and cost-effective and potable water supply.