King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), the largest privately-funded new city in the world, has awarded a major contract to the Saudi unit of Metito, a leading UAE-based water management solutions provider, for the design and construction of a seawater desalination plant which will be powered by solar energy. 

 

The seawater treatment plant, to be built at a cost of SR220 million ($60 million), will have the capacity to produce 30,000 cu m of drinking water per day, and is expandable to 60,000 cu m per day, said a statement from KAEC. 

 

The new plant will be the second desalination plant in KAEC with an objective to increase the production capacity of drinking water to meet the needs of new projects and the growing population in the city, especially with the pilot operation of Al Haramain Express train, it stated.

 

Metito will soon start work on the solar-powered desalination plant which is due to be completed within two years. 

 

A leading provider of choice for total intelligent water management systems in the emerging markets, Metito boasts operations covering three business areas: design and build, specialty chemicals, and utilities.

 

Committed to a cleaner environment, Metito endeavors to utilize its world-class global knowhow to provide millions of people across the globe access to clean and safe water.

 

The desalination plant in KAEC is expected to start production in the first quarter of 2020 and will be powered by electricity generated from the solar power plant, in line with the vision of the Kingdom Vision 2030.

 

KAEC Chairman and CEO Fahd Bin Abdul Mohsen Al Rasheed said: "This is vital to our water security and is consistent with the kingdom's Vision 2030 for sustainable conservation of natural resources, water and clean energy use."

 

"The plant will also establish greater confidence between investors and the city, which continues to implement major projects to develop its infrastructure in all its different sectors, and will attract more investors to invest and gain a footing in KAEC knowing their water needs for industrial and commercial use is sustainably secured," stated Al Rasheed.

 

Metito Chairman and CEO Mutaz Ghandour said: "KAEC’s investments in infrastructural projects, that rely on sustainable resources such as desalinated water and solar energy, marks another unique proposition for this iconic establishment and a clear reflection of a progressive and exemplar vision.

 

"Developing secure and sustainable water sources is critical to developing successful economic systems and ecosystems and to the establishing a broad range of enterprises such as; hotels, food industries, pharmaceuticals, and construction, which will now have bigger appetite to invest in the city," stated Ghandour.

 

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has great potential and we expect that development will take a faster pace with the continuous investment in infrastructure which requires significant capital and synergistic partnerships with all relevant stakeholders. We look forward to working with our partners on this project and future ones and proud to play a role in such landmark projects in the region," he added.

 

KAEC is the largest privately-funded new city in the world. Situated on the west coast of Saudi Arabia, it covers an area of 181 sq km of land, approximately the size of Washington DC. 

 

It comprises King Abdullah Port, the Coastal Communities residential districts, the Industrial Valley and the Hejaz district, which includes the Haramain high speed rail station. The city is under development by Emaar, The Economic City, a publicly listed Saudi joint-stock company established in 2006.-TradeArabia News Service