Mubasher: A consortium led by Marubeni Corporation alongside Spanish contractor Acciona, Abdul Latif Jameel Commercial Development Company (ALJ), and Rawafid Alhadarah secured a long-term water purchase contract from the Saudi Water and Electricity Company (WEC).
Under the deal, Marubeni will establish, operate, and maintain Shuqaiq 3 independent water project in the Saudi Arabian town, Marubeni said in a statement, noting that this was the largest reverse osmosis-based desalinisation plant, with a Japanese investor, that would generate around 450,000 cubic metres of water per day and serve a population of about 2 million.
The consortium will establish a special company to finance and build the plant and sell the water to state-run WEC over a period of 25 years starting from 2021, which is the due date for completing construction works for the plant.
"Just as in other Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the demand for water in Saudi Arabia is increasing rapidly in accordance with economic and population growth," according to Marubeni.
The Japanese conglomerate also owns four independent water and power projects supplying 2 million cubic metres of water a day in the UAE.
The independent reverse osmosis-based desalination plants do not need a fire-based plant for operation, reflecting a growing trend towards renewable energy in the kingdom.
In October, Marubeni led another consortium comprised of Oman Gas Company, Bahwan Renewable Energy Company, and Modern Channels Services, which secured a contract for a 100 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic solar power plant in the south of Oman.
