Jeddah industrial wastewater plant secures 60% capacity upgrade

Industrial wastewater management across the Middle East is rapidly moving towards circularity, and Saudi Arabia is reinforcing this transition with a critical infrastructure expansion in Jeddah.

UK-based wastewater treatment specialist Bluewater Bio has secured a contract to upgrade and expand the MODON Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant (IWWTP) at Jeddah 1st Industrial City, lifting capacity by 60 per cent whilst maintaining continuous operations for local manufacturers.

The project forms an integral component of a 20-year Rehabilitate-Operate-Transfer (ROT) concession awarded by the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON) to water management firm Miahona. Engineering, procurement, and construction contractor SUECO has been appointed to deliver the works, with Bluewater Bio supplying the core biological and tertiary treatment technologies.

Relieving flow pressures in Jeddah’s industrial hub

As the Kingdom broadens its manufacturing base, treating effluent at source has become an operational and environmental imperative. Jeddah 1st Industrial City represents one of Saudi Arabia’s most vital manufacturing centres, housing more than 1,100 factories across multiple sectors. Continued industrial expansion has driven daily wastewater flows and contaminant loadings beyond the plant’s original design limits. Consequently, modernising the treatment infrastructure has become essential to guarantee operational reliability, environmental compliance, and high-quality reclaimed water for local industry.

Crucially, the engineering design guarantees that the facility will remain fully operational throughout the upgrade, preventing any disruption to manufacturing tenants.

Core technologies and project delivery

To achieve the required capacity uplift without extensive site redevelopment, Bluewater Bio will deploy its proprietary modular treatment systems. The upgrade will expand the plant's overall processing capacity from 25 million litres per day (MLD) to 40 MLD, alongside supplying polished effluent suitable for reverse osmosis (RO) intake.

The scope of supply comprises:

• Fourteen SMART™ units driving the proprietary HYBACS® biological treatment process.

• Six FilterClear® tertiary filtration systems producing 24 MLD of treated water.

• Integration with a downstream reverse osmosis plant to enable high-grade industrial water reuse.

• Complete project delivery executed under live operational conditions to ensure zero plant downtime.

Fergus Rooksby, Commercial Director of Bluewater Bio, commented: “HYBACS was selected because it delivers a significant increase in biological treatment capacity without the need for major new civil structures. Combined with FilterClear for RO feedwater production, it provides a cost-effective, low-footprint solution that is straightforward to operate and minimises ongoing service and maintenance costs.
The ability to add further modules in the future also gives Miahona a flexible route to increase RO-treated water reuse, making this a highly compelling and future-ready solution.”

Daniyar Seipoldin, General Director of SUECO, said: “As an EPC contractor, SUECO is committed to implementing modern technological solutions that respond to the evolving needs of the industry — including energy efficiency, sustainable operation, effective use of existing infrastructure, and minimizing the need for additional civil construction.
It is in these principles that we see a strong strategic alignment between SUECO and Bluewater Bio. We value the professional collaboration between our teams and look forward to working together to successfully integrate the selected technologies and deliver the required project outcomes for Miahona and MODON.”

Aligning with regional infrastructure goals

The scheme is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2027, directly supporting the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 targets for sustainable water stewardship and industrial resource recycling. For Bluewater Bio, the contract solidifies an expanding Middle Eastern portfolio that already includes landmark installations in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Richard Haddon, CEO of Bluewater Bio, added: “This award reflects the strength of our technology offering in addressing complex industrial wastewater challenges. The MODON facility presents a highly demanding treatment environment, and the selection of HYBACS and FilterClear highlights their proven ability to deliver robust, reliable solutions under challenging conditions.”

Richard Haddon concluded: “This contract award further strengthens our presence in the Middle East and reinforces our position as a trusted provider of advanced water and wastewater treatment solutions across the region.”