Water desalination
- GRI 2‑6 Activities, value chain and other business relationships
- GRI 203‑1 Infrastructure investments and services supported
- GRI 303‑1 Interactions with water as a shared resource
ACWA Power, the world's largest private water desalination company
Accelerating our growth
Global demand for water is increasing and it is estimated that by 2050, around 2.5 billion people will face water scarcity. Given that 40% of the world’s population lives within 100 kilometres of a coastline, efficient and sustainable seawater desalination can provide a solution. In fact, large scale seawater desalination capacity is expected to grow by 60‑70% to over 80 million m3/day by 2027 (source: GWI and the Company's estimates).
In a world where access to clean, potable water remains a pressing challenge, with the strain on freshwater resources caused by an increasing population, ACWA Power stands out as the world’s largest private company for desalination, dedicated to not just meeting the world’s water needs, but to reshaping the very nature of water provision. Since its inception, ACWA Power has led efforts to develop innovative solutions, while setting new benchmarks in providing safe drinking water to communities around the globe.
Since 2007, ACWA Power has reduced the levelised cost of water by nearly 45% and has developed highly efficient Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) technology, used at most of ACWA Power’s water assets. Furthermore, numerous projects within the company’s portfolio harness renewable energy sources, driving down energy requirements for water purification. Over the past decade alone, ACWA Power has managed to reduce Specific Power Consumption (SPC) at our plants by an outstanding 87%.
ACWA Power’s water portfolio currently comprises 19 assets, spread across four GCC countries, with a contracted capacity of 8.1 million m3/day, constituting 20.6% of its total portfolio in terms of project cost. We can serve the demand of 20% to 50% of the local population in each of the four countries where we operate. All our plants are designed, built, and operated to adhere to Product Water (PW) standards, satisfying the stringent requirements of the world’s largest offtakers.
As the global leader in water desalination, ACWA Power remains committed to capturing our fair share of the growth opportunities in developing economies, as part of the Company’s ambitious 2030 plan to triple assets. We will continue to innovate, focus further on SWRO technology, reduce power consumption and tariffs, and create new projects.
Facts and figures
Proven track record
Globally, partners value ACWA Power’s innovative approach, giving us a world‑leading track record in winning bids, and an enviable international asset portfolio
and abroad
2024 awards
Energy transition takes speed and scale
A litre of water for nearly everyone on the planet.
water capacity
ACWA Power water desalination portfolio
Water desalination plants are located in the extremely high water‑risk region, where we are making a positive impact by distributing potable water to water‑scarce regions. ACWA Power’s desalination assets are in the Middle East, an area of extremely high water‑risk.
| m3/day | COD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rabigh 3 IWP | 600,000 | Q4 2021 |
| 2 | Petro‑Rabigh IWSPP | 133,920 | Q2 2008 |
| 3 | Petro‑Rabigh (Phase 2) IWSPP | 54,480 | Q1 2018 |
| 4 | Rabigh 4 IWP | 600,000 | Q1 2026 |
| 5 | Shuaibah IWPP | 880,000 | Q1 2010 |
| 6 | Shuaibah Expansion IWP | 150,000 | Q4 2009 |
| 7 | Shuaibah 2 IWP | 250,000 | Q2 2019 |
| 8 | The Red Sea Project | 33,000 | Q2 2024 |
| 9 | UAQ IWP | 682,000 | Q3 2022 |
| 10 | Taweelah IWP | 909,000 | Q1 2024 |
| 11 | Hassyan IWP | 818,000 | Q2 2028 |
| 12 | Salalah IWP | 114,000 | Q1 2021 |
| 13 | Barka 1 IWPP | 91,000 | Acquired |
| 14 | Barka 1 Expansion IWP | 45,460 | Q2 2014 |
| 15 | Barka 1 Phase II Expansion IWP | 56,826 | Q1 2016 |
| 16 | Al Dur Phase II IWPP | 227,000 | Q2 2022 |
| 17 | Jazlah IWP | 600,000 | Q1 2023 |
| 18 | Shuaibah 3 IWP | 600,000 | Q1 2025 |
| 19 | Marafiq IWPP | 800,000 | Q4 2010 |
Scaling up SWRO technology at speed
In 2009, ACWA Power seized on SWRO as a potential replacement for traditional, oil‑fired thermal co‑generation methods of desalination, and launching our 150,000 m
We have invested heavily in developing, applying and refining the technology and effectively reshaped the entire market. With conventional energy prices increasing significantly, ACWA Power developed integrated plants that combine the environmental and commercial benefits of reverse osmosis with renewable energy sources (PV). This advanced integration led us to develop some of the world’s largest SWRO plants, while continuously breaking records for the world’s lowest levelised water tariff by significantly reducing SPC in our plants through big data analytics, advanced simulation tools, the integration of solar PV and a focus on Levelised Cost of Water (LCOW).
Two of our operational water desalination plants, Taweelah IWP in the UAE, the world’s largest efficient RO facility, and Jazlah IWP (Jubail 3A) in KSA, have successfully integrated on‑site captive PV plants. This integration has reduced grid power dependency by approximately 25%, achieving the lowest specific power and cutting over 2.5 million tonnes of CO2e emissions annually.
We maintain our competitive edge by treating each project as unique and by developing the best solution for that particular plant. NOMAC’s experience of running the plants, and improving them on a continuous basis, provides us with a wealth of experience that advances our knowledge, capabilities, and technology. This experience is the basis for our continuous innovation to optimise our plant design, apply the latest proven technology and leads to successive reductions in SPC.