Privatization in infrastructure projects plays a strategic ...

Metito

Source: Metito

Metito delivered the first of three floating desalination barges in Saudi Arabia last year, an iconic project integrating the latest technologies that will enable KSA to achieve national water security targets, and the first floating desalination project in the Middle East.

A pioneering company on all fronts, Metito was the first company to introduce the Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology for desalination outside the USA in 1972 and the first company to pioneer concession contracts through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in the Middle East and Africa. Driving the expansion of the company in the GCC is Fady Juez, Managing Director of Metito and global expert in the water industry. Smart Water Magazine had the opportunity of speaking with him about some of the company’s unique recent initiatives.

Metito launched the MENA’s first floating desalination plant in KSA in 2022, with the first of three barges starting trial operations. Can you give us an update on this project?

To meet Saudi Arabia’s rising water demand in a sustainable manner, the Barge-mounted Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) Desalination Plant was developed by Metito in partnership with The Saudi National Shipping Company (Bahri).

Three barges, with a capacity of 50,000 m3/day per unit, were delivered starting in January 2022. Currently, the first of the three barges has been completed and is under operation.

What advantages/disadvantages do these types of facilities provide compared to traditional land-based desalination plants? Can you comment on their environmental costs and benefits?

While desalination facilities are typically built onshore, floating desalination plants provide the same benefits but stand at an advantage from several perspectives. The cost of transferring seawater to the plant onshore (feed-water intake) and the price of the land area holding the plant are significantly lower. In addition, they have the strategic advantage of being easily moved (towed) to other locations as needed. Floating barges also carry a lower environmental footprint with the waste liquid further diluted onsite using existing seawater, thus offering additional protection to marine life.

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