ENGIE in Saudi Arabia wins Jubail 3B IWP

ENGIE said its consortium has signed a commercial close on the Jubail 3B Independent Water Project (IWP) with the Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC), the operation is expected to begin in 2024.

The company said that they have signed a 25-year Water Purchase Agreement between SWPC and the ENGIE consortium on June 22nd. Previously on April 29 of this year, SWPC said that the ENGIE-led consortium was the preferred bidder; after submitting a successful bid with tariff of (US$ 0.42) SAR 1.591 per cubic meter of potable water. 

The Jubail 3B IWP plant, is location 65 km north of Dammam airport, will produce 570,000 m3/day of potable water through reverse osmosis technology to supply the cities of Jubail and Dammam. The company said that the plant will include storage facilities for one operational day in addition to in-house renewable energy capacity to reduce grid electricity consumption throughout the desalination process.

“The Saudi Water Partnership Company will provide full support for investment projects, and to enhance private sector participation in sustainable development by providing the opportunity for local and foreign investors to participate in the implementation of these projects, thus achieving sustainable development, providing job opportunities for young people, and supporting local product and balanced development, in order to achieve the strategic objectives contained in “Saudi Arabia’s vision 2030” and the initiatives approved by the Saudi Council of Ministers to encourage private sector participation in economic development initiatives,” said The CEO of SWPC, Eng. Khalid Al-Quraishi in a statement to the press.

This project is part of the water schemes in Saudi Arabia developed under the public-private-partnership (PPP) structure. The consortium said in a statement that they will develop and finance the desalination plant, which will be operated and maintained by ENGIE.

The consortium is lead by ENGIE, and comprised of Saudi based Nesma Company Limited and Abdulaziz Al Ajlan Sons for Commercial and Real Estate Investment Company.

The Jubail 3B IWP is said to create both direct and indirect jobs opportunities during both the construction and operation phases, with a targeted 90 percent Saudization rate during the operation period.