meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Saudi water projects momentum holds steady

12 September 2023

This package on Saudi Arabia’s water sector also includes: 

> Riyadh holds water pipeline bid clarifications
> Red Sea awards Amaala utility package
> Five banks agree $545m Rabigh 4 financing
> Saudi Arabia extends desalination bid deadline
> Albawani joins Jafurah water developer team
> Saudi Arabia evaluates Al-Haer wastewater bids

 

The Saudi water market remains the region’s largest, with $30bn-worth of projects in varying planning and procurement stages.

The sector is expected to expand further with multibillion-dollar capital expenditures allocated by the potable water and wastewater collection and treatment firm, the National Water Company (NWC), and Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), the world’s largest producer of desalinated water.

This offers great opportunities for water asset developers and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors aiming to capture a share of the kingdom’s burgeoning water projects market.

SWCC, NWC and the principal buyer of water, Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC), awarded over $32bn of water infrastructure and utility projects between 2013 and 2022, according to MEED Projects data.

Driving investment within the sector is the need to improve water security, a key component of Saudi Vision 2030, along with rising demand due to population and economic expansion.

Reducing the carbon footprint of the kingdom's existing seawater desalination fleet, dominated by plants running on older technologies, is also contributing to the urgency to build more energy-efficient water infrastructure.

This is matched by moves to make potable and wastewater water transmission and distribution more efficient and to minimise leakage and non-revenue water. The kingdom also needs to expand its overall water storage capacity to improve its emergency response.

Simultaneously, like most of its groundwater-scarce neighbours, there is growing pressure to adopt treated sewage effluent for agricultural and industrial applications to reduce demand for seawater desalination and comply with the kingdom’s circular carbon economy approach.

“It is an interesting time for the Saudi water sector,” says a Dubai-based water expert.

“There are many projects in the tendering phase, but there is also some degree of uncertainty in terms of how the roles of the key stakeholders could shift [in the future].”

This stems from the years-long restructuring of the sector and last year's cabinet resolution approving the transfer of water production, transportation and storage assets owned directly or indirectly by SWCC to Water Solutions Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Saudi sovereign vehicle, the Public Investment Fund (PIF).

There is widespread expectation that SWCC will focus on research and development following the transfer of its assets to the PIF subsidiary, although this has not been formally announced. 

Diversified clients

The lengthy restructuring of the kingdom’s water sector and rapid advance of so-called gigaprojects have diversified the profile of clients in the kingdom.

Neom and its subsidiary Enowa, SWCC transmission arm Water Transmission & Technologies Company (WTTCo) and other gigaproject developers, such as the royal commissions for Riyadh City and Al-Ula, have joined the mainstream water utility companies and municipalities in tendering new water infrastructure contracts over the past year.

In terms of projects in the pre-execution phase, SWPC is the top client, with a pipeline of projects worth at least $7bn.

SWPC is mandated to procure all water infrastructure projects in the kingdom on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis, including water desalination, wastewater treatment, transmission and reservoirs.

Its latest Seven-Year Planning Statement covering 2022-28 stipulates the procurement of about 50 independent water infrastructure projects, including several in the bid stage.

SWPC’s future projects pipeline outperforms that of NWC and SWCC. Neom, Enowa, WTTCo and the Royal Commission for Al-Ula round out the top seven clients.

Riyadh rides power projects surge

Independent projects

Following consecutive awards of independent water producer (IWP) and independent sewage treatment plant (ISTP) contracts between 2019 and 2021, SWPC has recently paced out the award of new contracts.

It has only awarded one contract, directly negotiated with Saudi utility developer Acwa Power for the Shuaiba 3 seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) project in 2022. This year, it awarded another contract for the Rabigh 4 IWP scheme, in addition to the contract to develop the kingdom’s first independent water transmission pipeline, which connects Rayis and Rabigh.

SWPC is evaluating the bids it received for the contract to develop the Al-Haer independent sewage treatment plant (ISTP), the first of the round-three projects under its ISTP programme, and expects to receive bids in October for the 300,000 cubic-metre-a-day (cm/d) Ras Mohaisen IWP.

The contract to develop the kingdom’s first independent strategic water reservoir (ISWR) project is expected to be awarded this year. The Juranah ISWR has a capacity to store 2.5 million cubic metres of water. The project is anticipated to significantly boost water security, particularly in Mecca and Medina, which host several million pilgrims annually.

EPC works

Despite moves to transfer its assets to the PIF subsidiary, SWCC cemented its reputation as the world’s largest producer of desalinated water when its fleet of 30 desalination plants reached a total combined capacity of 6.6 million cm/d in 2022.

The company is not resting on its past success, having issued successive tenders for SWRO plants using an EPC model over the past 12-18 months.

In July this year, it invited bids for the contract to build a 200,000 cm/d SWRO facility in Ras al-Khair.

This came three months after it received two bids for the contract to build the second phase of the Shuaibah water desalination plant, which has an even higher capacity of 545,000 cm/d.

Around the same time in March, SWCC tendered a contract to construct a greenfield SWRO plant in Yanbu with a design capacity of 500,000 cm/d.

SWPC last awarded a major SWRO contract in mid-2021. The giant 1 million cm/d Jubail SWRO plant is being built by a team of Metito and local firm Saudi Services for Electromechanic Works.

Before this, in late 2019, it awarded a contract to construct a 400,000 cm/d SWRO plant in Shuqaiq to a team of Spain’s Acciona and Al-Rashid Trading & Contracting Company.

SWCC, though WTTCo, has also tendered multiple water transmission projects, including pipelines around Riyadh and connecting Riyadh and Ras al-Khair, Shuqaiq and Jizan and Al-Duwadimi and Atif.

In its 2022 annual report, SWCC stated that it had achieved exceptional results in supporting the Saudi Green Initiative, reducing carbon emissions, increasing operational efficiency to above 99 per cent and saving SR1.6bn ($427m) in operational costs.

The company also “increased local content in its operational efficiency by 61 per cent and demonstrated noteworthy patent accomplishments, innovations, studies and scientific publications”.

Innovation

New tourism-related developments, the expansion of industrial complexes and the need to limit carbon emissions are driving capacity-building and innovation.

The Red Sea development is completing the kingdom’s first private sector multi-utility project, which includes developing and operating a solar photovoltaic power plant, battery energy storage system, water desalination and treatment and waste recycling plants in one contract.

In addition to tendering major water transmission and distribution networks, Neom is also finalising the design for a zero-liquid discharge SWRO plant catering to the development. Enowa, Japan’s Itochu and France’s Veolia are expected to tender the project's EPC package soon.

The proposed state-of-the-art desalination plant will be powered 100 per cent by renewable energy and use advanced membrane technology to produce separate brine streams.

This will enable the production of brine-derived products, which will be developed and monetised downstream. The bigger plan includes establishing a brine processing complex in Oxagon, which could require an investment of between $15bn and $20bn.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/11132882/main.gif
Jennifer Aguinaldo

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Joint venture wins Oman desalination contract

    15 October 2026

    Bahwan Veolia Water, a joint venture between France's Veolia and Oman's Bahwan Engineering Company, has signed a five-year operations and maintenance (O&M) contract for the Al-Asilah desalination plant in the sultanate.

    The Al-Asilah plant has a production capacity of 80,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d) and helps supply drinking water to approximately 600,000 residents across South Al Sharqiyah governorate. It also has an on-site solar farm to support lower-carbon water production.

    The plant entered commercial operation in January 2022 under a build-own-operate arrangement. It is developed by a consortium of Bahwan Engineering and Japan-headquartered JGC Corporation.

    Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works were carried out by South Korea's Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, now known as Doosan Enerbility.

    Oman’s first independent water project (IWP), the Sur IWP, also serves residents in Al-Sharqiyah governorate.

    The main contract for the project was awarded in 2007, with Veolia carrying out EPC works and acting as shareholder in Sharqiyah Desalination Company, which owns the plant.

    Bahwan Veolia Water signed a 22-year operations and maintenance agreement for the project that same year.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/20631273/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Adnoc funnels billions into boosting gas processing

    15 October 2026

     

    Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Group) is accelerating investment in gas processing and associated downstream infrastructure as demand in the UAE rises and the government prioritises lower-carbon energy growth.

    Rising gas consumption in the UAE is being driven by rapid population growth, greater household electrification, expanding industrial bases and demand from gas-intensive downstream segments such as petrochemicals, fertilisers and metals.

    Power generation and water desalination are also key sources of demand, while new industrial zones – as well as data centres supporting the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) use in the country – add further baseload requirements.

    Adnoc Gas, Adnoc Group’s gas processing subsidiary, is leading the UAE’s push to expand gas processing capacity and is executing a major capital expenditure (capex) programme worth $28bn over 2026-30.

    As part of that capex plan, Adnoc Gas achieved final investment decision (FID) on the second and third phases of its Rich Gas Development (RGD) programme earlier this year.

    Adnoc Gas awarded $8.2bn of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for the second and third phases of the RGD programme. These relate to the construction of a new gas processing train at the Habshan complex and a natural gas liquids fractionation train at the Ruwais gas processing facility, respectively.

    Adnoc Gas officially announced the awards, saying it selected China-based Wison Engineering for RGD phase 2 under a $3.9bn contract, while Italy’s Tecnimont was awarded the $4.3bn phase 3 contract.

    Adnoc Gas has also reiterated its $5bn capex for the first phase of the RGD scheme, which is under construction. The company awarded $5bn of engineering, procurement and construction management contracts in three tranches for phase 1 of the RGD programme in June last year, marking the company’s largest-ever capital investment.

    Across all three phases, Adnoc Gas has committed a total of $13.2bn to the RGD programme.

    Bab Gas Cap development

    Looking ahead, Adnoc Gas is advancing towards FID on the estimated $8bn Bab gas cap development. The project will process up to 1.85 billion cubic feet a day (cf/d) of raw feed gas once Adnoc Group begins extracting reserves from four underdeveloped onshore reservoirs at the Bab field: Thammama A, B and H (projected to yield a combined 1.45 billion cf/d) and Thammama F (projected at 396 million cf/d).

    Because existing trains at the Habshan complex cannot accommodate these supplementary volumes, the project entails building a processing plant approximately 170 kilometres from Abu Dhabi city, alongside pipeline networks and ancillary units.

    Adnoc Gas has split the EPC scope into four packages, with technical bids due on 16 November:

    • Package 1: Main Bab gas cap processing plant
    • Package 2: Early civil works
    • Package 3: Pipeline network
    • Package 4: Non-process facilities and associated infrastructure

    Four contractor consortiums prequalified to bid for the main contracts:

    • Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India) / Samsung E&A (South Korea)
    • Saipem (Italy) / NMDC Energy (UAE)
    • Technip Energies (France) / JGC Corporation (Japan) / Sinopec (China)
    • Tecnimont (Italy) / China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation 

    Gas pipeline investments

    Adnoc Group continues to invest in projects to enhance its gas transmission networks across the UAE, following its $3.5bn-plus capex on the Estidama programme earlier this decade to expand its sales-gas network in the country.

    Adnoc Gas recently awarded the main contract for a project to build a new pipeline that will supply gas from the Habshan scraper launcher station at its Habshan gas compression complex in Abu Dhabi to the Al-Nouf customer receiving station, for delivery to Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec).

    The proposed 56-inch, 127km pipeline will help the UAE’s state utility, Ewec, meet additional gas demand to power the second phase of an AI data centre in Abu Dhabi, as well as support the relocation of some of its key assets in the Mirfa area of the emirate.

    Adnoc Gas awarded the EPC contract for the project to India-based Kalpataru Projects International.

    Separately, Adnoc is moving ahead with plans to build an oil pipeline network that will transport crude from its main offshore oil processing islands in the Gulf to its onshore crude export terminal at Jebel Dhanna, Abu Dhabi.

    The planned network will source crude from Zirku Island and Das Island, where Adnoc gathers and treats oil produced at Abu Dhabi’s offshore fields, among other processing hubs, and transport it about 300km inland to the Jebel Dhanna terminal.

    The proposed pipelines will eventually connect to the West-East crude pipeline network currently being built from Jebel Dhanna to the emirate of Fujairah, which is expected to be commissioned in 2027.

    Boosting chemicals output

    Meanwhile, following major investments over the past three years to set up specialty chemical plants under the first phase of its chemical derivatives complex in Ruwais Industrial City, Taziz is firming up plans for the second phase of the complex.

    Taziz has partnered with local conglomerate Alpha Dhabi to undertake a joint feasibility and market study and, subject to FIDs and regulatory approvals, the second phase of the Taziz Industrial Chemicals Zone could produce up to 14 new chemicals, with total output capacity of about 2.2 million tonnes a year (t/y).

    The chemicals under study include styrene and polystyrene, acrylic acid and derivatives, polyols, methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), epoxy resins and linear alpha-olefins. These are widely used across construction, automotive, packaging, consumer goods, infrastructure and advanced manufacturing.

    Taziz, Germany-based chemicals producer Covestro and XRG – all wholly or majority-owned subsidiaries of Adnoc Group –  have launched a joint feasibility study to assess the development of a world-scale MDI plant in Ruwais Industrial City.

    The partners aim to establish a facility in the Taziz Industrial Chemicals Zone with a production capacity of 660,000 t/y of MDI. The study will evaluate the technical, commercial and economic feasibility of the proposed plant, with the aim of informing a future investment decision.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/20622502/main.gif
    Indrajit Sen
  • Morocco extends deadline for El-Menzel pumped-storage plant

    15 October 2026

    Morocco’s Office National de l’Electricite (One) has extended the deadline for contractors to submit bids for the 362MW El-Menzel pumped-storage hydropower project.

    The new deadline is 25 November. Bids were previously due on 28 October.

    The project is located about 35 kilometres southeast of Sefrou in the Fes-Meknes region. The engineering, procurement and construction contract covers engineering, equipment supply, construction, installation and commissioning.

    The scope includes two reversible pump-turbine units, upper and lower reservoirs, underground water conduits, a 400kV substation and a transmission line connecting the facility to the national grid.

    One tendered the project in July following an earlier prequalification process that began in May 2023, when six consortiums submitted applications.

    Three consortiums were subsequently prequalified to bid for the main contract. These include:

    • China International Water & Electric Corporation (China) / Yellow River Engineering Consulting Company (China) / Harbin Electric International Company (China) / Harbin Electric Machinery Company (China) / Jet Contractors (Morocco)
    • Sinohydro (China) / Andritz Hydro (Austria)
    • Webuild (Italy) / Dongfang Electric International Corporation (China)

    The project aims to support Morocco’s renewable energy programme and help the country reach its target of sourcing 52% of its energy mix from renewables by 2030. It is being financed by the African Development Bank and Germany’s KfW Development Bank.

    One already operates the 464MW Afourer and 350MW Abdelmoumen pumped-storage stations, while the 300MW Ifahsa project is under development.

    In August, the Office National de l’Electricite et de l’Eau Potable (Onee) approved a MD248bn ($26.4bn) investment programme for 2026-30. The spending plan covers electricity and drinking water infrastructure.

    The programme allocates $21.9bn to electricity projects and $4.5bn to drinking water infrastructure. According to Onee, the private sector will finance about 72% of the investment.

    The electricity programme includes $11.1bn of investment to develop 11.6GW of renewable energy capacity and 2.6GW of energy storage. It also provides for 2,230MWh of battery energy storage systems, the El-Menzel pumped-storage hydropower plant and 3,744MW of gas-fired generation to support grid flexibility.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/20621738/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Contractors given extension on Riyadh airport aviation complex

    15 October 2026

     

    Contractors have been given an extension until 19 November to submit proposals for an estimated SR3bn ($817m) contract to build an aviation complex within the King Salman International airport master development in Riyadh.

    Government-owned aviation organisation Saudi Royal Aviation (SRA) tendered the contract in August, with an initial bid submission deadline of 8 October.

    Phase one of the programme comprised the concept design stage, which the design consultant has completed.

    SRA is now seeking to deliver the second phase, which covers design development, detailed design, procurement, construction, testing, commissioning and close-out of the works.

    The scope covers 30 landside buildings, including 16 screening areas and gates, plus 15 airside buildings, including four gates.

    The assets include maintenance hangars, workshops, office and administrative buildings (including interior fit-out), warehouses, storage, security and catering facilities, aprons and access roads, and site utilities and civil works.

    King Salman International airport will provide primary utilities to designated tie-in points, with the contractor taking responsibility from there.

    Although the site is within King Salman International airport’s boundaries, it is classified as landside and is a greenfield development. The contractor must therefore meet airport security, safety and access requirements, in addition to SRA’s own clearance processes.

    Project scale

    The King Salman International airport project covers an area of about 57 square kilometres (sq km), allowing for six parallel runways, and will include the existing terminals at King Khalid International airport. It will also include 12 sq km of airport support facilities, residential and recreational facilities, retail outlets and other logistics real estate.

    The airport aims to accommodate up to 100 million passengers by 2030. The goal for cargo is to process 2 million tonnes a year by 2030.

    Saudi Arabia plans to invest significantly in its aviation sector. The Saudi Aviation Strategy, announced by the General Authority of Civil Aviation, aims to triple Saudi Arabia’s annual passenger traffic to 330 million travellers by 2030.

    It also aims to increase air cargo traffic to 4.5 million tonnes and raise the country’s total air connections to more than 250 destinations.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/20619953/main.png
    Yasir Iqbal
  • KBR wins Aramco offshore engineering services contract

    15 October 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Saudi Aramco has awarded US-headquartered KBR a contract to provide engineering services to support facility upgrades across the Marjan offshore field in Gulf waters.

    Under the contract, awarded under Aramco’s existing general engineering services-plus (GES+) agreement with KBR, the US firm will provide engineering and project execution services to support key offshore processing, gas compression and power infrastructure facilities within the Marjan field.

    The project is expected to help maintain the Marjan field’s production capacity in line with recent field developments, KBR said in a statement.

    It is also expected to advance associated gas processing capabilities and strengthen the long-term performance of critical offshore assets through the integration of digital technologies, automation and power system enhancements, the Houston-based company added.

    KBR’s engineering services will specifically target upgrades to gas-oil separation plants (GOSPs) 2 and 3 at the Marjan offshore oil field development, a source told MEED.

    KBR is expected to execute the engineering work primarily from its offices in Houston and Al-Khobar.

    The Marjan offshore oil field, on Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast, was discovered in 1967 and began production in 1973.

    In 2019, Aramco committed an estimated $15bn in capital expenditure for a major infrastructure upgrade at the field under the Marjan increment programme. The project aims to increase the field’s oil production capacity by 300,000 barrels a day (b/d) of Arabian Medium crude oil to 800,000 b/d, process 2.5 billion cubic feet a day of gas, and produce an additional 360,000 b/d of ethane and natural gas liquids.

    The Marjan increment programme consists of about 20 engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) packages. The scope of work mainly involves a new GOSP and 24 offshore oil, gas and water-injection platforms.

    Since launching the Marjan increment programme, the Saudi energy giant has continued investing billions to maintain and upgrade infrastructure at the Marjan field.

    Aramco also plans to maintain steady capex in the future to sustain oil and gas production at the Marjan field development over the long term.

    ALSO READ: Consortium wins Safaniya field onshore facilities project

    MEED’s October 2026 report on Saudi Arabia includes:

    > COMMENT: Saudi projects hold steady
    > GOVERNMENT: Riyadh looks to reset its regional defence outlook
    > ECONOMY: Conflict bolsters case for Saudi economic diversification
    > BANKING: Saudi lenders readjust to lower lending and deposit climate
    > UPSTREAM: Aramco upstream spending gathers pace
    > DOWNSTREAM: Sabic steps up Saudi petchems investment
    > POWER: Saudi Arabia’s power award activity slows
    > WATER: Saudi water sector hits sharp slowdown
    > CONSTRUCTION: Saudi construction defies the headwinds
    > TRANSPORT: Saudi infrastructure pushes forward amid conflict
    > DATABANK: Saudi data indicates project spending shift

    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/20621733/main.jpg
    Indrajit Sen