Shuqaiq II, Saudi Arabia

What is it?

A greenfield 216,000m³/d and 850MW power and water plant in Saudi Arabia using seawater reverse osmosis. Commissioning began in December 2009.

Who is responsible?

The plant was developed by a consortium of ACWA Power Projects, Mitsubishi Corp. and Gulf Investment Corporation, with Mitsubishi acting as the EPC contractor. The offtaker is the Saudi Water and Electricity Company (WEC).

What makes it special?

• Shuqaiq is the first reverse osmosis-based IWPP in Saudi Arabia. It uses an innovative two-pass system, with Toyobo hollow-fibre membranes on the first pass, and Hydranautics spiral-wound membranes on the second pass.

• The winning water price of $1.03/m³ was more than 20% lower than the next best bid. The fact that the developers were able to deliver the plant on these terms speaks volumes for the wider acceptance of reverse osmosis technology in the Gulf power and water market.

• The permeate recycling system allows for a smaller feedwater intake, whilst reducing water losses and membrane fouling. The plant’s energy consumption of 4.4kWh/m³ is 25% lower than the industry standard for similarly-sized SWRO plants, leading to significant operational cost savings.