Spanish infrastructure group Abengoa has announced that it has reached the commercial operation phase at the Jubail 3A desalination plant, located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

 

The group has now transferred the facility to Nomac, the operation and maintenance unit of Acwa Power, the leading company in the development, investment, ownership and operation of power generation and desalinated water production plants.

 

This comes after the plant successfully passed all the necessary contractual tests led by Abengoa and Acwa Power's Jazlah Water Desalination Company obtained the commercial operation certificate last week, it stated. 

 

Jubail 3A has a total capacity of 600,000 cu m per day, thus becoming the largest reverse osmosis desalination plant in commercial operation in Saudi Arabia together with Rabigh-3, also developed by Abengoa.

 

It is the world's largest desalination plant to be partially powered by solar photovoltaic renewable energy, said the Spanish group in its statement.

 

An international company that applies innovative technology solutions for sustainability in the infrastructure, energy and water sectors, Abengoa said together with Tiejun, it was responsible for the construction and commissioning of the desalination plant. 

 

The group was also responsible for the technological leadership, in charge of the engineering, supply, construction supervision and commissioning of the project for the pre-treatment, reverse osmosis process and post-treatment of the plant, it added. 

 

Abengoa said it had achieved 100% availability during the Dependable Water Capacity Test that established the commercial operation date on February 28, following on the successful completion of the 30-day Reliability Test Run. 

 

Jubail 3A will be the first and largest desalination plant in the world to be partially powered by renewable energy generated by a solar photovoltaic plant (45.5 MWp) as part of Saudi 2030 vision to reduce Carbon Emission globally. 

 

Thus, the plant will produce drinking water in a sustainable and efficient way, being the first experience of Independent Water Project (IWP) in Saudi Arabia on a commercial scale, it added.