Desalination Company of the Year
Acciona
What is it?
The water business of Spanish construction giant Acciona and the driving force behind the design and construction of some of the world’s largest and most advanced desalination plants. Its portfolio of delivered projects covers more than 90 desalination plants with a combined capacity of almost 7 million m3/d.
What has it done?
Consolidating its place in the top echelons of the water contracting world, the last year saw Acciona assert itself as a world-class supplier of desalination mega projects, winning contracts to serve both municipal and industrial end users, from familiar territory in the GCC to North Africa and Australia, while also successfully delivering on previously won mega projects.
What makes it special?
Acciona closed out 2023 with a colossal success in Morocco, picking up the contract to build both phases of ONEE’s 822,000 m3/d Casablanca seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) mega plant, the largest project of its type outside the GCC. The low bid submitted by the Acciona-led team of just $0.46/m3 reflects the company’s skill in plant design and ability to bring its extensive GCC expertise to new mega project markets.
The last year saw the company demonstrate its project expertise beyond municipal projects in the MENA region, picking up the contract for the second Ras Laffan industrial SWRO project in Qatar as well as being named preferred bidder for the Water Corporation of Western Australia’s Alkimos SWRO project. Together with Casablanca, the wins reflect Acciona’s capabilities as a truly global player.
Acciona convincingly demonstrated its ability to deliver its projects in 2023, bringing three mega plants in Saudi Arabia (Jubail 3B, Shuqaiq 4, and Khobar 2) to full production with combined capacity of 1.6 million m3/d, as well as the 135,000 m3/d Tseung Kwan O (TKO) SWRO in Hong Kong – representing sufficient capacity in just a single year that would have been enough to place it on GWI’s all-time top 20 supplier ranking.
Distinction
Saline Water Conversion Corporation
What is it?
The state-owned desalination company of Saudi Arabia, responsible for the world’s largest portfolio of fully owned desalination plants, numbering more than 30 with a combined capacity of 7.5 million m3/d. The company is also at the forefront of innovation in the desalination sector, pursuing new technologies and efficiencies to drive the industry into the future.
What has it done?
In 2023, SWCC continued to wield its position as one of the world’s largest individual players in the desal market to promote the best use of technology and operating expertise in the industry. While using its clout to expand the boundaries of what can be achieved in desalting and value recovery, it simultaneously expanded its presence and importance in Saudi Arabia’s water sector.
What makes it special?
In a bold pivot to a new part of the water business in 2023, SWCC successfully delivered eight new brackish water desalination plants in partnership with Saudi Arabia’s National Water Company. The plants treat borehole water serve to improve coverage and water quality for consumers in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern province. Seven more plants are under construction to bring the total to fifteen with a combined capacity of 76,000 m3/d.
2023 saw SWCC demonstrate its dedication to innovation in the desalination sector by both launching the Saudi Water Innovation Centre and creating the Global Prize for Innovation Desalination. These creations reflect SWCC’s focus on the future, encouraging the development of new ideas and offering support to those looking to take desalination technology to the next level.
The commissioning of SWCC’s nanofiltration magnesium brine recovery system at its Shoaiba 4 SWRO plant, represents a major step forward in the pursuit of a cost-effective brine refining process, a critical move towards further refining circularity and the cost-assumptions of the industry.