Spanish firm, Abengoa announced in a statement that it has achieved the production of the first permeate, that is, obtaining the first desalinated water, in the 600,000 m3/d desalination plant that it is building in the city of Rabigh, in Saudi Arabia.
This important milestone has happened during the operational tests included in the commissioning phase of the plant that is currently under construction, and represents a further step towards its commercial operation.
The Rabigh desalination plant will guarantee the supply of drinking water to more than three million people in the cities of Makkah Al-Mokarramah, Jeddah.
It is an important reference in the desalination sector not only because it is the largest reverse osmosis desalination plant in Saudi Arabia to date, but also because it is an example of innovation and sustainability in its design and construction, which allows it to reduce the energy consumption and increase plant availability.
So far, Rabigh 3 has exceeded 4.5 million safe man hours, achieving the highest levels of safety standards and meeting the established health and safety objectives.
The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for this project was awarded to a consortium of Abengoa, SEPCOIII (Power China) and SIDEM (Veolia) by ACWA Power in 2018.
The commissioning of this plant is scheduled for the first quarter of 2022, complying with the deadline agreed with ACWA Power.
Upon completion of the project, the desalinated water will be supplied to the state-owned Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC).
