Massive Saudi water-power plant nearly ready

[IDemo]

Desalinization facility that also generates electricity going online this year

Associated Press -updated 6:23 p.m. MT, Thurs., March. 12, 2009

CAIRO - A top Saudi official says the world's biggest combined power generation-desalination plant is set to launch this year in the kingdom.

Prince Saud bin Thunayyan, head of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, was quoted by the Saudi El-Ektisadiyah newspaper Wednesday as saying the $3.36 billion combined plant will then begin commercial operations in the Jubail Industrial City by March of 2010.

The plant, which is slated to produce 2,750 megawatts of electricity and 800,000 cubic meters of water per day, is key to Saudi Arabia. The oil-rich desert nation faces chronic water shortages, particularly as it looks to boost its agricultural and industrial sectors.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29666778/

[ConcernedCanuk]

1. That is pretty interesting -

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Jubail Water and Electricity Co. "JWAP" (the Marafiq Jubail IWPP): This $3.5 billion transaction will supply water and power to the Jubail Industrial City commencing 2010. When commissioned, the plant will be the largest power and desalination plants in the world. With gas as fuel, the plant will utilize combined cycle power plant technology with multi effect desalination.

http://www.acwapowerprojects.com/index.asp?id=85

another related and informative article:

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/biz_view.asp?categoryCode=123&newsIdx=5369



Jubail Industrial City, which rose from the sands three decades ago, is poised to double in size at a cost of $3.8 billion for infrastructure alone.


Thirty years ago, Saudi Arabia launched a project to build a city from the sand up.

Today, that city is an industrial capital with a population of more than 100,000 that accounts for more than seven per cent of the kingdom’s gross domestic product (GDP), where wooden dhows have made way for container ships and a single pier has evolved into a bustling industrial port that serves 38 primary and secondary industries.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=302380

[NickB79]

2. Great. Another CO2-spewing monstrosity

You'd think a country as awash in sunlight as Saudi Arabia could at least put up a few solar thermal systems instead.

[Nederland]

3. A clear example of why potable water isn't scarce...

...energy is. So long as we have energy, we will always have potable water.