Operation Seawater reverse osmosis with integrated solar PV

Jubail 3A IWP (Jazlah Water Desalination Company)

Jubail, Eastern Province · Saudi Arabia

Jubail 3A is the first large-scale desalination plant in Saudi Arabia to integrate solar PV directly with the desalination facility. The 600,000 m³/day SWRO plant entered full commercial operation in 2023 after achieving a reported record of under 2.8 kWh/m³ of desalinated water using Arabian Gulf seawater.

Design Capacity
600,000 m³/day
Project Value
USD 650 million
Status
Operation
Expected Completion
2023
Client / Offtaker
Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) — 25-year BOO contract
Technology
Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) with on-site solar PV
Country
Saudi Arabia
Region
Jubail, Eastern Province
Last Verified
2023-06-05

Why This Project Matters

As the first IWP in the Kingdom’s Eastern Region, Jubail 3A set the efficiency benchmark for Gulf SWRO: a 45.5 MW solar array covers roughly 20% of the plant’s energy demand and the facility was reported to deliver water at a record-low tariff. It is a practical reference for energy auditing of large RO plants.

Timeline

  1. Commercial operations begin

    Commercial operation certificate issued by SWPC, marking the first IWP in the Eastern Region.

  2. Inauguration

    Official inauguration alongside partners; reported record efficiency of under 2.8 kWh/m³.

Verification & Sources

EngiMetric tracks project facts against public sources only. Every value above (capacity, value, parties, status, dates) is cited. Content last verified on 2023-06-05.