Wetico/Saudi Berkefeld has announced it has signed a SR200 million ($53.3 million) contract to set up what will be the world’s largest sea-based single desalination plant.

The Middle East-based desalination, water and wastewater treatment company that provides engineering, design, manufacturing, installation and commissioning services worldwide will execute the project in the western province of Saudi Arabia.
The 52,000 cu m per day desalination plant will be based on two barges located off the shores of the existing Al Shoaiba desalination plant.  The plant is scheduled for completion in 2008.
Samer Kassem Mazloum, deputy general manager of Wetico, said: “This project is a true success story for Wetico due to its capacity, schedule and unique design requirements.” 
Being a sea-based desalination plant, Wetico had to endure and overcome a lot of difficulties at the design development stage, he said.  Issues such as environmental impact, barge balance, area constraints and working conditions had to be overcome in order to ensure proper execution of the project.
“It is worth noting that Wetico is the only Middle East based company to execute a desalination plant of this nature and capacity which is considered by many a true success model for local and foreign desalination, water and wastewater treatment companies,” said Mazloum.
Raka Saudia Power and Water Co’s general manager, Salman Al Malik, and Dr. Charbel Abdallah Ghosn, the owner’s projects manager, added that the project would feed SWCC’s existing lines with an extra 52,000 cu m per day of high-quality desalinated water that was in compliance with the SWCC’s water specifications.
Dr Ghosn said: “The project’s pretreatment scheme, equipment layout, potabilisation plant and delivery schedule were the main factors in our decision to sign this contract with Wetico.  It is really refreshing to find local know how, support and professionalism as what Wetico offered from our initial meeting.”
Over the past five years Wetico has been leading the desalination, water and wastewater treatment market in the Mena region with projects such as the 200,000 cu m per day Riyadh Wastewater Treatment Plant, the 25,000 cu m per day Jeddah Industrial City Wastewater Re-use Plant, and the region’s first dairy wastewater MBR treatment plant.  With offices in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Iraq, and Algeria, Wetico is developing its local presence through the transfer of technology and continuous customer support.