Spain’s Acciona and local partners Tawzea and Tamasuk have begun commercial operations at the Madinah 3, Buraydah 2, and Tabuk 2 sewage treatment plants, according to a press release. The companies will manage operations and maintenance for the plants for 25-year period.

IN CONTEXT- The plants were first awarded in 2021 by the state-owned Saudi Water Partnership Company under contracts valued at around USD 1 bn, with Acciona taking on responsibility for financing, designing, engineering, construction, and long-term operation. Financial close followed in 2022, backed by the company’s first green loan.

The plants: Madinah 3, the largest, has an initial treatment capacity of 200k cbm / d — expandable to 375k cbm / d — and will serve up to 1.5 mn residents. Buraydah 2 adds 150k cbm/d of capacity for some 600k people, while Tabuk 2 provides 90k cbm for around 350k inhabitants. The three facilities each incorporate pretreatment installations, biological reactors, and sludge lines. Together they add 440k cbm/d of new wastewater treatment capacity.

Beyond treatment, the projects include major water reuse infrastructure. Acciona built more than 85 km of recycled water collectors, storage tanks and pumping stations, to channel reclaimed water into agriculture. About 95% of the treated wastewater will go to irrigation, with daily reuse volumes estimated at 190k cbm from Madinah 3, 142.5k cbm from Buraydah 2, and 85.5k from Tabuk 2.

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