Built at a cost of SAR3.3 billion ($898.3 million), Yanbu 4 IWP is a consortium led by Engie, and includes prominent Saudi companies Nesma and Mowah.
The project is designed to deliver 450,000 cu m/day of potable water using advanced reverse osmosis technology powered by solar energy, in a significant step forward in sustainable infrastructure development.
The two companies vowed to commence the construction of the production facility in 2026 to meet increasing local demand for the reverse osmosis (RO) membrane, the device for desalinating water in the Middle East region.
The new desalination plant in Alkimos will include a 50 billion
litres per year desalination plant within the Alkimos Water Precinct,
with the possibility of a future 50 billion litres per year expansion.This will be enabled by an ocean intake pipeline below the seabed
that brings seawater into the plant, as well as an ocean discharge
pipeline below the seabed that safely takes brine (salty water) away
from the plant.
“The big advantage of desalination is that seawater is plentiful and it’s usually available where fresh water is needed most,” says Christopher Gasson, owner of information provider Global Water Intelligence — noting that demographic growth is fastest in the world’s coastal megacities. “Almost every other source of drinking water is ultimately dependent on enough rain falling in the right place,” he adds.
South Korea’s LG Chem Ltd. will produce seawater desalination materials in Saudi Arabia starting in 2026.
The company announced Wednesday that it has signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia‘s Al Khorayef Group to localize production of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes.
The pipeline, which runs alongside Airport Drive and the Alexandra Canal, transports up to 250 million litres of desalinated drinking water from SDP’s Plant in Kurnell to Sydney Water’s Erskineville supply network so it can be distributed across the city.
The research team led by Zhang Xuan, a professor at the Nanjing University of Science and Technology, developed the polyester reverse osmosis membrane, which overcame several limitations of mainstream commercial polyamide membranes, providing a new solution for the next generation of seawater desalination technology.
It’s among the points more hotly contended between opponents and supporters of the proposed project, which would in its initial phase have the capacity to generate as much as 30 million gallons of treated water per day.
The 250l/s reverse osmosis plant went to a consortium comprising La Peninsular Compañía Constructora and Acciona Agua, which has a 25-year concession to design, build and operate it. Another contract for the integral improvement of the distribution system went to a consortium comprising FCC Aqualia and Aqualia México for 1.3bn pesos, which now holds a 10-year concession to improve, operate and maintain the system.