Renewables giant Acwa Power kicked off operations at the Shuaibah 3 seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO)desalination plant, according to a statement. The facility — developed by a consortium comprising Acwa Power and Public Investment Fund subsidiary Badeel — replaced the decommissioned oil-fired Shuaibah 2 Independent Water and Power Project (IWPP), which was Saudi Arabia’s oldest, Mees reported.

About the project: The USD 821 mn facility is powered by 65 MW of solar energy and aims to reduce power consumption by 87% and offset the use of 22 mn barrels of oil and 9 mn tons of CO2 annually. The facility has a potable water production capacity of 600k cubic meters a day. It is touted as the kingdom’s first conversion project from the energy-intensive, multi-stage, flash thermal desalination project to SWRO, supported by solar power.

The Kingdom is ramping up its desal projects: The Saudi Water Partnership Company launched operations at the Yanbu 4 desalination plant, which has a capacity of 450k cubic meters a day, in February 2024. The year prior, Acwa, Gulf Investment Corporation, and Al Bawani Water and Power Company inaugurated the solar-powered Jubail 3A independent RO water desalination plant.

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