Saudi utility giant Marafiq (regional business of Veolia in France) has partnered with Bahrain Saudi joint venture Lamar Holdings to successfully win the bid for Saudi Aramco's $500 million (1.875 billion riyals) industrial wastewater treatment plant project. The facility will serve the Amiral Chemical Derivatives Complex in Jubail Industrial City 2, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, which costs $11 billion. Through a 30-year franchise model, investment, construction, and operation will be integrated, marking a new stage in Saudi Arabia's industrial water recycling industry.

The equity structure of the project highlights cross-border collaboration: Marafiq, as a former Jubail Yanbu power and water company, will hold 40% of the project company's shares, with its shareholder Veolia Middle East Limited holding 35%, and Lamar Arab Energy Company, a subsidiary of Lamar Holdings, holding the remaining 25%. This combination integrates Saudi Arabia's local public utility operation experience, international water treatment technology advantages, and regional investment capabilities, providing guarantees for the long-term stable operation of the project.

On a technical level, IWWTP will adopt industry-leading wastewater treatment and recovery systems, focusing on tackling the complex industrial wastewater generated by the Amiral complex, including high concentration waste alkali liquid streams. Through closed-loop water circulation design, the treated recycled water will be directly reused in industrial production, significantly reducing the amount of fresh water intake and wastewater discharge in the complex, and helping Saudi Aramco achieve its net zero emissions goal by 2050. The project model continues the essence of public-private partnership (PPP), linking developer benefits to indicators such as treatment efficiency and water quality compliance rate, ensuring a balance between public interest and commercial sustainability.

Marafiq has extensive experience in the field of industrial water treatment in Saudi Arabia, and its wholly-owned Jubail Industrial Water Treatment Plant (IWTP8) has been providing services to local petrochemical companies for many years. In 2020, Saudi Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Services Company won the bid for the fourth phase expansion project of IWTP8 (contract amount of 202 million US dollars), which is expected to be completed by the end of this year, further verifying the growing demand for high-end water treatment infrastructure in the regional market.

With the Amiral complex planned to be put into operation in 2027, the implementation of this wastewater treatment project not only improves the supporting facilities of the chemical park, but also highlights Saudi Arabia's strategic determination to promote industrial green transformation - upgrading the traditional energy economy to a circular economy model by introducing international advanced technology and innovative financing models.Editor/Cheng Liting