Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture visits Shuaibah Expansion II IWP to check the readiness of Shuaibah Water and Electricity Company

His Excellency Eng. Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadhly, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Water and Electricity Company, alongside His Excellency Eng. Ali bin Abdulrahman Al-Hazmi, Vice Chairman of and Governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation, paid an official visit to the Shuaibah Expansion II IWP to check the latest progress on the project, as part of the minister’s field visit to the Shuaibah plant. Shuaibah Expansion II IWP is expected to be completed within 22 months, making it the world’s fastest implemented water desalination plant. Developed, owned and operated by ACWA Power, the project is a testament to the company’s commitment to enhance the potential of the desalination sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

His Excellency was welcomed by HE Khaled bin Zwaid AlQureshi, Chief Executive Officer of Water and Electricity Company and Mr. Mohammad Abunayyan, Chairman of ACWA Power, and escorted on a tour, which covered the latest developments of the plant and enabled interacting with ACWA Power employees who recently marked three million working hours at the plant without injury.

Mr. Mohammad Abunayyan commented saying: “We are honoured to welcome His Excellency to the Shuaibah Expansion II IWP project, as it serves as an incentive to further evolve the project that is set to play an essential role in meeting the continuously increasing water demands of the western region and overall support the socio-economic and industrial development of the country. Our people and their safety always come first, and we are extremely proud of the team for recording 3.3 million working hours without any injury at this plant. We remain committed to delivering our projects in a timely manner to ensure the trust of our partners while adhering to the highest quality, security and safety standards.”

Upon completion in 2019, the Shuaibah Expansion II IWP project will meet the growing water needs of the Western Region through the production of 250,000 m3 of water per day.

His Excellency visited Shuaibah Water and Electricity Company - which provides water about 50% of Mecca, Jeddah, Ta’if and Al Bahah – to ensure the readiness of its performance.

His Excellency Eng. Sulaiman Al Sayari, Chairman of the Board of Shuaiba Water and Electricity Company, and Eng. Thamer Al-Sharhan, Vice Chairman of the Board, welcomed His Excellency Eng. Al-Fadhly and talked through the upcoming challenges of the increased demand for water and the readiness of the team to meet those challenges. His Excellency praised the team for their remarkable efforts.

ACWA Power also owns and operates Shuaibah IWPP, the first IWPP developed following the Saudi government’s decision to open the market to private investment, which generates 900 MW of power and 880,000 m3/day. In addition, ACWA Power completed the 150,000 m3/day Shuaibah Expansion IWP in 2009.