Western Asia

ACWA Power consolidates its stake in RAWEC – Saudi Arabia

ACWA Power, a developer, owner and operator of power generation and water desalination plants, has announced the completion of the acquisition of certain shares and debt instruments/loan notes owned by Marubeni Corporation in Rabigh Arabian Water & Electricity Company (RAWEC) and certain shares owned by Marubeni in RAWEC’s Operations & Maintenance Company, namely Rabigh Power Company (RPC).

RAWEC is the captive utilities (power, water and steam) provider to Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Company (Petro Rabigh Corporation), a joint venture formed in 2005 between Sumitomo Chemical, Japan and Saudi Aramco, which owns, operates and manages the Rabigh petrochemical complex.

Solar-powered water desalination plant planned on 63ha Kuwait plot – Kuwait

Kuwait plans to launch water desalination projects powered by solar energy on a 63ha plot of land north of Kuwait Bay, according to the director general of Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Dr Samira Omar.

The investment plan was revealed on the side-lines of the 13th Gulf Water Conference, held in Kuwait on 12-14 March, 2019. Dr Hamed Al-Azmi, Kuwait’s Minister of Education, said the conference aimed to boost inter-GCC cooperation on water planning projects.

GCC countries, including Kuwait, depend on treated seawater for drinking and irrigation, among other purposes. Water desalination projects are picking up in the region as the countries, focused on future population numbers, seek to bridge the gap between water demand and supply.

Saudi’s Acwa Power plans $3bn investment in Egypt – Egypt

Saudi-based Acwa Power, a major developer of power and water desalination projects, is set to invest around $3 billion in Egypt’s electricity projects during this year.

The utility developer has collaborated with Hassan Allam Holding Company to establish a 2.3-megawatt power plant in Luxor.

The power plant, being built at a cost of $2.3 billion, is expected to start the Phase One of the operation in the summer of 2022 and the full commercial operation in the summer of 2023.

Saudi Arabia to change behaviours and cut water consumption by 2030 – Saudi Arabia

Saudi Water Forum, organised under the patronage of Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Eng Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsin Al-Fadhli, will be held in Riyadh on 17-19 March, 2019 to tackle Saudi Arabia’s and the region’s anticipated water shortages, as well as help the kingdom to secure water resources for the future.

As the forum’s website explains, Saudi Arabia’s per capita water consumption is among the world’s highest, which “is in conflict with the environmental conditions of the kingdom”.

Saudi’s average water consumption is 263 litres per capita each day, and the kingdom aims to reduce this to 200 litres by 2020, and 150 litres by 2030.

Kuwait calls for updating water desalination tech in GCC states – Kuwait

A senior Kuwaiti official called on Tuesday for updating water desalination technology in the GCC countries amid ongoing dependence on the water to secure this vital living resource.

GCC states continue to count on desalinating the sea waters and this warrants continuous action for upgrading and nationalizing the desalination technology, in tandem with dedicating attention to scientific research for enhancing the production, trimming the costs and averting adverse impact on the environment, said Minister of Education Dr Hamed Al-Azmi.

UAE spending $1.57bn on power and water projects in Northern Emirates – UAE

The UAE has announced that it is allocating $1.57 billion for several water and power projects in the northern emirates.

The announcement was made by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

In addition, Sheikh Mohammed approved a $654 million project to build dams and a federal water network that will connect water resources in the northern emirates to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

He approved plans to build a $326 million solar power station in Umm Al Quwain and a water desalination station with a capacity of 150 million gallons per day. The projects are scheduled for competition in the next two years.

Dubai at full throttle – Dubai

Dubai has changed dramatically over the past three decades, becoming a major business centre with a more dynamic and diversified economy.

Its excellent infrastructure, international outlook and liberal government policies are attracting investors in a big way.

Paramount to Dubai’s ambition to be a leading global metropolis is reliable power and utilities, which deliver efficiency, flexibility, reliability at a reasonable cost and size.

Dubai’s state-of-the-art utilities are led by H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA).

Nebras Power expands its presence in Jordan’s Power Sector –

Nebras Power (Nebras) and its subsidiary Nebras Power Investment Management (NPIM) have entered into a sale and purchase agreement (SPA) to acquire AES Corporation’s (AES) stake in three Jordanian power projects together with Mitsui, the Qatari firm announced in a statement on Sunday.

Nebras currently owns 24 percent stake in each of the three projects, while Mitsui owns 40 percent.

ACWA Power signs final financial agreements for one of the world’s largest SWRO desalination projects in Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia

ACWA Power, a leading developer, owner and operator of power generation and water desalination plants, leading a consortium with Saudi Brothers Commercial Company(“SBCC”), announced the successful signing of senior financing and hedging agreements for the SR 2.625 billion (USD 700 million) Rabigh-3 IWP which will generate 600,000 m³/day – making it one of the largest SWRO desalination projects in the world to be built in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The water purchase agreement was signed on 24th of December 2018 by HE Eng. Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadley, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and Chairman of Water & Electricity Company (WEC), as WEC will act as the off taker of the project.

Aqaba forestation project finds support at London initiative – Jordan

The Sahara Forest Project (SFP), Bellona Foundation and Ernst & Young (EY) signed a new partnership agreement during the London initiative to boost climate-smart food production and a desert greening project in Jordan using sunlight and seawater.

“We are proud to be invited to this important high-level conference in London in order to launch a new milestone agreement for the SFP operations in Aqaba, Jordan”, Frederic Hauge, founder of the Sahara Forest Project, said in statements made available to The Jordan Times.

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