MADRID, January 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
- The plant will have a capacity to desalinate 60,000
m3 of seawater per day and will supply the local
community.
- The project is valued at US$130
million.
Abengoa (MCE: ABG.B/P SM /NASDAQ: ABGB), the international
company that applies innovative technology solutions for
sustainability in the energy and environment sectors, has been
selected by Advanced Water Technology (AWT) to jointly develop the
world's first large-scale desalination plant to be powered by solar
energy, in Saudi Arabia. AWT is a
newly formed company based in Riyadh whose mission is to bring affordable
water solutions through innovation and sustainability. It is the
commercial arm of KACST (King Abdulaziz City Science and
Technology) and is owned by Taqnia. The plant will produce 60,000
m3 of water a day to supply Al Khafji City in North
Eastern Saudi Arabia, ensuring a constant water supply throughout
the year.
This is a global pioneering project since it incorporates a
photovoltaic plant that will be capable of supplying the power
required by the desalination process, significantly reducing the
operational costs. It will also have a system to optimize power
consumption and a pre-treatment phase to reduce the high level of
salinity and the oils and fats that are present in the region's
seawater.
Al Khafji desalination plant will ensure the stable supply of
drinking water, contributing to the country's socio-economic
development. As in other cities in Saudi
Arabia, water is a scarce resource. Abengoa and AWT will
supply the local population with water needs in a sustainable and
reliable way.
This latest contract will further consolidate Abengoa's
leadership position in the water sector, increasing its total
desalination capacity to nearly 1,500,000 m3/day, enough
to supply 8.5 million people around the world. It will also
strengthen its position in the Middle
East where it has already been awarded major projects in the
water sector, such as the Barka desalination plant in Oman, and in the energy sector, such as the
region's largest solar plant, in Abu
Dhabi.
For AWT, this represents its initial foray into the upstream
activities of desalination water production. It plans to expand its
activities in the near future to include downstream activities such
as water reuse and water management.
About Abengoa
Abengoa (MCE: ABG.B/P SM /NASDAQ: ABGB) applies innovative
technology solutions for sustainability in the energy and
environment sectors, generating electricity from renewable
resources, converting biomass into biofuels and producing drinking
water from sea water. (http://www.abengoa.com)
About AWT
AWT is a newly formed company based in Riyadh whose mission is to bring affordable
water solutions through innovation and sustainability. It is the
commercial arm of KACST and is owned by Taqnia.
(http://www.awatertech.com)
Communication Department
Patricia Malo de Molina Meléndez.
Tel: +34 954 93 71 11
E-mail: communication@abengoa.com
Investor relations:
Ignacio Garcia Alvear
Bárbara Zubiría Furest
Tel: +34-954-93-71-11
E-mail: ir@abengoa.com
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SOURCE Abengoa
