Almar Water Solutions, a leading company in the development of water infrastructure, (part of\u00a0Abdul Latif Jameel Energ\u00eda<\/a>), and Abdul Latif Jameel Commercial Development Company (CDC) held the ceremony to break ground for the Shuqaiq 3 desalination plant together with their partners Acciona, Marubeni Corporation and Rawafid Alhadarah Holding Co. \u00a0The event took place at the site chosen for the construction of the plant, on the shores of the Red Sea, approximately 137 kilometers to north of Jizan, in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n The ceremony was attended by Faisal S. El Samannoudi, Vice-Chairman, and Rowaid Al Sawaf, General Manager, of Abdul Latif Jameel CDC, together with Yahia Kafi, Chief Financial Officer, and for Almar Water Solutions, Santiago Mart\u00ednez, Managing Director.<\/p>\n HE \u00c1lvaro Iranzo, Spanish Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and the Counsellor for Economic and Financial Affairs of the Spanish Embassy in Riyadh Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00f3n Ferrandis Mu\u00f1oz, also attended.<\/p>\n Shuqaiq 3, which reached its\u2019 US$ 600 million investment financial close last May, will be one of the largest reverse osmosis desalination plants in the world, with a production capacity of 450,000 cubic meters per day.\u00a0 The project will be executed under a 25-year BOO (build, own, operate) contract, and its completion is planned for the fourth quarter of 2021.<\/p>\n The Shuqaiq 3 desalination plant will significantly relieve the water shortage in the area, supplying of drinking water to more than 1.8 million people, in addition to contributing to the country\u2019s economic and industrial development and creating around 700 employment opportunities construction start and final commissioning of the plant<\/p>\n The project is of such importance that last month it\u00a0received the \u2018Utilities Project of the Year\u2019 award at the Middle East Energy Awards 2019<\/a>\u00a0held in Dubai, making it one of the flagship projectshttps:\/\/www.alj.com\/en\/news\/shuqaiq-3-desalination-project-receives-the-utilities-project-of-the-year-award\/ in the region.<\/p>\n