Al Jubail Desalination Plant Overview

The Al Jubail desalination plant also known as JWAP (Jubail Water & Electricity Company) is one of the largest desalination plants in Saudi Arabia. Built in Jubail this desalination plant produces 800,000 cubic meters of clean water per day. The al Jubail desalination plant was built by Marafiq, SEC (Saudi Electricity Company). This joint venture included PIF (Public Investment Fund) and SGA Marafiq consortium of ENGIE, GIC (Gulf Investment Corporation) and ACWA Power. 

The Al Jubail desalination plant is designed as a dual-purpose facility to produce water and electricity. Its power facility produces up to 2,744 megawatt power and its desalination plant produces 800,000 cubic meters of potable water per day. 

During the years, several desalination plants were built such as the Jubail 3a and Jubail 3b to meet the water supply needs of the people of Saudi Arabia.  

Al Jubail Desalination Plant Background

Jubail in Ska holds the largest desalination plant in the Middle East. The Jubail desalination plant produces 176 MIGD (Million Imperial Gallon of water per day). It was built on a BOOT (Build-Own-Operate-Transfer) contract for a 20-year off-take agreement. It is also known as the Marafiq IWPP (Independent Water and Power Project).

The al Jubail desalination plant was built by a joint venture of Saudi Electricity Company, the Public Investment Fund, the SGA Marafiq consortium of ENGIE, Gulf Investment Corporation, and ACWA Power projects. 

The JWPP (Jubail Integrated Water and Power Plant) functions on a combined cycle of power generation and water desalination process. The plant design has four power blocks consisting of three GTGs (Gas Turbine Generators) and one STG (Steam Turbine Generator) in each block. Together, it generates 2,750 megawatts of power. 

The desalination plant is equipped with 27 desalination units of large capacity sufficient to produce 800,000 cubic meters of fresh water per day. The desalination plant uses the MED (Multi-Effect Distillation) technology to perform the desalination process.

Al Jubail Desalination Plant Timeline

The Marafiq Jubail Water and Power desalination plant began its construction in the year 2007. After multiple quality checks and reliability run tests for a period of 30 days in its full capacity, this project was scheduled to begin its commercial operations in 2010.

On 28th April 2010, King Abdullah began the Marafiq IWPP for its commercial operation with a desalination capacity of 800,000 cubic meters of water and a power capacity of 2,744 megawatts.  

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Al Jubail Desalination Plant Cost

The Jubail Water and Power Company or the Marafiq IWPP cost is expected to be USD 3.08 Billion. Tawreed (a subsidiary of Marafiq) is the off-taker of the project. It is built by SEC and a consortium of Marafiq including GE, HHI, and SIDEM. It is built on a contract of BOOT for 20 years. 

Contractors, Investors & Suppliers

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Expanding Desalination Capacity in Jubail

Recent years have seen a surge in desalination plants. Several desalination plants suhc as Ras AL Khair (one of the top 5 desalination plants in Saudi Arabia) have been built in the Jubail Industrial City to meet the increased water consumption in Saudi Arabia over the years. 

Jubail 2

The Jubail ii popularly known as Jubail seawater reverse osmosis phase 2. It is owned by the SWCC (Saline Water Conversion Corporation) and was commissioned in February 2022. It produces 400,000 cubic meters of potable water per day and contributes to the total Jubail desalination plant production of 1500 Million cubic meters of water per day. The major contractor of this project is Metito. 

This project aims to reduce the overall reliance of conventional  seawater desalination plants on natural gas by 86%. Thus, reducing the overall carbon footprint & energy costs through renewable energy.

Jubail 3A IWP

The Jubail 3A is an IWP (Independent Water Project) by the Jazlah Water Desalination Company. It is owned by the ACWA Power and SWPC (Saudi Water Partnership Company). This desalination plant began its commercial operation in Q1 of 2023 produces 600,000 cubic meters of fresh water per day using the RO (Reverse Osmosis) desalination technology. The Jubail 3a desalination plant is one of the notable and most advanced desalination plants in the Jubail Industrial City.

Jubail 3B IWP 

The Jubail 3B desalination project is owned by the SWPC and developed and financed by the ENGIE, NESMA, and AJLAN & Bros holding group consortium. This is a RO desalination plant with a daily production of  570,000 cubic meters of desalinated water per day. 

The Jubail 3b iwp plant is unique with a dedicated solar energy power plant to reduce the overall energy consumption and thus, minimizing the negative environmental impact. Recently, on 28th March 2024, it completed its first successful reliability run test after 30 days of production at its full capacity. The Jubail 3b desalination plant is likely to start its operations in 2024. 

Future Prospects

SWPC announced upcoming projects of Jubail 4 & 6 IWP projects. It is being built 18 km south of Jubail Industrial City on the Arabian Gulf Coast. These plants are adjacent to Jubail Phase 1, Jubail Phase 2, Phase 3A, and Jubail 3B. It is built with a capacity of 600,000 cubic meters of potable drinking water and the power supply is provided by the SEC. On successful completion, the project with its entire capacity will be sold to SWPC under a 25-year concession WPA (Water Purchase Agreement). 

Conclusion

The Jubail Water and Power Desalination Plant (IWPP) also known as Marafiq IWPP is a dual-purpose facility that produces 800,000 cubic meters of desalinated water and 2,744 megawatts of power. 

Commissioned in 2010, it was built by Marafiq and SEC on PWPA (Power and Water Purchase Agreement) - BOOT contract for a concession period of 20 years. The major investors in this project are a consortium of PIF, SEC, ENGIE, GIC, and ACWA Power. It is currently operated and managed by a joint venture JOML ( ENGIE and NOMAC). It is one of the largest desalination plants in ksa ensuring water security for millions of people.

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