- It has won distinctions in the “Best Desalination Project” category for the Al Khobar I SWDP in Saudi Arabia and in the “Best Smart Water Project” category for the digital twin of the same plant
Acciona has received two distinctions in the annually-held Global Water Intelligence prizes, a reference in the water sector.
They recognize the milestones reached by ACCIONA in the field of desalination last year, in particular the design and construction projects for the Al Khobar I seawater desalination plant, one of the biggest in Saud Arabia. The latest innovations in automation developed by the Company played a key role in its entry into service.
ACCIONA completed the construction of the Al Khobar I SWDP at the end of last year and carried out most of the tests and start-up procedures remotely, using digital twin technology.
Thanks to this digital twin (an exact copy of the seawater reverse osmosis [SWRO] plant), a team of specialists in Madrid was able to carry out the tests and start-up of the plant remotely, reducing the number of personnel on site to a minimum. This technology led to the entry into service of the plant within the planned timescale, despite the restrictions on personal mobility imposed by the pandemic.
The Al Khobar I desalination plant, based on reverse osmosis technology, is a fundamental project for the modernization of the water sector currently being carried out by the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) of Saudi Arabia.
The plant has a treatment capacity of 210,000 cubic meters a day, and will supply a population of 350,000.