The Acwa Power desalination plant in Mecca opens earlier than planned

Utilities developer Acwa Power, based in Riyadh, announced the commissioning of a desalination system in the western Makkah region of Saudi Arabia ahead of schedule.

The Shuaibah II Expansion Program, which has the capacity to generate 250,000 cubic meters of water a day, began commercial operations in May.

The factory was built at a cost of 314 million dollars (1.15 billion dirhams) and was inaugurated by Prince Khalid Al Faisal bin Abdulaziz, advisor to the guardian of the two holy mosques and governor of the Mecca region.

"Because of our ongoing commitment to meeting the water and electricity desalination needs of Saudi Arabia, we are extremely proud to maximize local content to reach 100% of the operations led by Saudi teams, "said Mohammad Abunayyan, chairman of Acwa Power.

The project was completed in 21 months – a record for large scale installations of reverse osmosis, according to the developer.

Reverse osmosis is a process in which water pbades through a membrane that separates heavier sediments and salts. The desired minerals such as calcium and magnesium are then added to the filtered water before being packaged or transported.

In addition to the new plant, Acwa Power also owns and operates Shuaibah's independent water and power plant, the first project of its kind developed as a result of the Saudi government's decision to open the investment sector. private. The system generates 900 megawatts of energy and 880,000 cubic meters of water a day. In 2009, the utility developer has completed the water production program by an independent Shuaibah expansion producer of 150,000 cubic meters per day.