Saudi Arabia’s Water & Electricity (WEC) has invited firms to express interest by 21 August for the development of an independent water project (IWP) in Rabigh, in the western region of Saudi Arabia.

The desalination plant will utilise reverse osmosis (RO) technology.

It is expected to have a design capacity of up to 600,000 cubic metres a-day, expandable to 1.2 million cubic metres.

The project will have a 25-year concession period.

WEC will be the offtaker supported by a payment guarantee from the government.

Saudi Arabia’s Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) has drawn up plans for a total of eight new IWPs or independent water and power projects (IWPPs) to be developed up to 2025.

In May, MEED reported that SWCC had appointed advisers for two planned IWPs with a combined total capacity of more than 800,000 cm/d.

Saudi Arabia has also recently launched the privatisation of the Ras al-Khair power and water plant, which houses the largest desalination facility in the world.