The Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), which is developing the world?s largest US$6.1bn desalination plant, has said that the project?s construction at Ras Al-Khair in Saudi Arabia was nearing completion
The plant, with a capacity of producing more than one million cubic meters of desalinated water and generating 2,400MW of electricity, will start production in Q3 2013.
SWCC governor Al-Ibrahim told Saudi Arabian English daily Arab News, ?The project has been completed 75 per cent so far and will start production in the third quarter of this year. Electricity production will start in the third quarter and water production at the end of the year.?
Al-Ibrahim said that electricity production will reach up to 416MW at the beginning of the third quarter of this year and 830MW by the end of the year. Water production will begin from the reverse osmosis unit by the end of this year.
The Ras Al-Khair plant will supply Maaden factories with 25,000 cubic metres of desalinated water and 1,350MW of electricity, while also supplying Riyadh and the central region cities with 900,000 cubic metres of desalinated water.
Cities north of Saudi Arabia?s Eastern Province will be provided with 100,000 cubic metres of desalinated water from the plant by 2014, with Saudi Electricity Company receiving 1,050MW of power.
A similar forthcoming project in Saudi Arabia includes a plant in Jubail 3, which will supply 1.5mn cubic meters of water and 3,000MW of electricity. There will be electricity production of up to 416MW at the beginning of the third quarter of this year and 830MW by the end of the year.
