Jubail, Saudi Arabia

What is it?

A $3.4 billion power and water plant on Saudi Arabia’s east coast, producing 800,000m³/d of desalinated seawater through multiple-effect distillation, and generating 2,743MW of power.

Who is responsible?

The project was developed by a consortium of GdF Suez Energy International, ACWA Power Projects and Gulf Investment Corporation. EPC contractors GE and Hyundai Heavy Industries were responsible for the power island, while Veolia Sidem supplied the MED technology. The off-taker is Marafiq.

What makes it special?

• Jubail is the largest MED plant in the world by a factor of three. It represents a herculean feat of modern engineering that changed the rules for multiple-effect distillation.

• Despite using MED technology on a larger scale than ever before, the plant’s design has enabled electricity consumption to be kept remarkably low, at just 1.6 kWh/m³. In addition, the plant’s gain output ratio of 9.9 is at the high end of the typical range for thermal power plants.

• The impact of the project cannot be underestimated. The water produced will help slake the thirst of over 5.5 million people on the Kingdom’s eastern seaboard, whilst keeping the wheels of Saudi industry turning. The power capacity represents approximately 10% of the current installed capacity in Saudi Arabia.