In the Gala of the Global Water Summit Awards on May 9^th this year, Shuqaiq 3 desalination plant was awarded in the Desalination Plant of the Year category. The highly energy-efficient SWRO plant is a key project in the modernization of the water sector currently being carried out in Saudi Arabia by Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC).

The GWI awards recognize major achievements in the water sector in the previous year, rewarding initiatives and companies that contribute to the development of the industry through improvements in operational performance, the adoption of innovative technologies, and sustainable financial models. This year, the emphasis has been on recognizing initiatives that represent progress in the field of desalination.

For this reason, Shuqaiq 3 SWROopens in a new tab was awarded a prize in the Desalination Plant of the Year category. Construction work on the plant was completed in January 2023 in record time despite COVID-19 problems. It is one of the biggest seawater desalination plants using reverse osmosis technology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, capable of supplying 2 million people in the Asir and Jizan areas. The plant, which is already producing water at full capacity, produces 450,000 cubic metres of potable water per day, making it a milestone in sustainable and innovative desalination.

Shuqaiq 3 IWP was also awarded in September 2019 the “Utilities Project of the Year” at the Middle East Energy Awards held in Dubai, UAE, consolidating its position as one of the region’s flagship projects.

The consortium, composed of ACCIONAopens in a new tab, Almar Water Solutionsopens in a new tab, through Abdul Latif Jameel Entreprisesopens in a new tab, Marubeni Corporationopens in a new tab, and Rawafid Alhadarah Holding Coopens in a new tab., was awarded the contract by Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) in 2019, as a key element in the 7-year statement project that sets out to modernize the water sector in Saudi Arabia.

With a population of 33.4 million, Saudi Arabia is the third biggest consumer of water per capita in the world, after the United States and Canada. It stands in a region with considerable water shortages, so demand for desalinated water is growing in response to climate change and demographic growth.