Spanish firm wins $1b Saudi contract

The Spanish utility giant Acciona has won the contract on the financing, construction and 25-year operation of the Madinah-3, Buraydah-2 and Tabuk-2 sewage treatment plants in Saudi Arabia. The contracts from the Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) are worth $1 billion.

Acciona’s local partners include Tawzea and Tamasuk. Last year, Acciona was awarded the construction of the Al Khobar 2 desalination plant, on the east coast of Saudi Arabia, 400 kilometres from Riyadh. In the same area, the group also completed a 210,000 cubic metres/day Al Khobar 1 desalination plant last year, which serves 350,000 inhabitants.

Of the latest wins, the Madinah-3 wastewater treatment plant in Madinah — the fourth most populous city in Saudi Arabia with more than 1.1 million inhabitants — will have a capacity of 200,000 cubic metres/day (and expandable to 375,000 cubic metres/day) to treat urban wastewater.

Acciona will be responsible for the facility’s development, design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance for 25 years.