Abengoa, an international provider of sustainable solutions for the infrastructure, energy and water sectors, has announced that it has produced the first permeate – that is, the first desalinated water – at the Rabigh 3 desalination plant which it is building in the Saudi city of Rabigh.

This important milestone was achieved by the leading Spanish group during the operational tests as part of the commissioning phase of the 600,000-cu-m-per-day plant and represents a further step towards its commercial operation.

The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for this project was awarded to a consortium of Abengoa, Sepco III (Power China) and Sidem (Veolia) in 2018.

Acwa Power, a leading Saudi developer, investor and operator of power generation and water desalination plants, is the majority owner of the Rabigh 3 desalination plant. The commissioning of this plant is scheduled for the first quarter of 2022.

Upon completion of the project, the desalinated water will be supplied to the state-owned Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC).

Set to become the largest reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant in Saudi Arabia, the Rabigh 3 facility is also a model of innovation and sustainability in its design and construction, which allows it to reduce the energy consumption and increase plant availability, says Abengoa.

The Rabigh desalination plant will guarantee the supply of drinking water to more than three million people in the cities of Makkah, Jeddah and Mastorah.

So far, Rabigh 3 has exceeded 4.5 million safe man hours, achieving the highest levels of safety standards and meeting the established health and safety objectives, states Abengoa.

Acwa Power was recently recognised with the prestigious Makkah Excellence Award in the Economic Excellence category for this mega project.

The award, presented on June 10 by the Governor of Makkah Province Prince Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud to representatives of Acwa Power, reinforces the company’s commitment to delivering essential water supply reliably and responsibly to communities in Saudi Arabia.