The firm has won a US$130m contract with newly formed Advanced Water Technology to develop the plant which will produce 60,000 m3 of water a day to supply Al Khafji City in North Eastern Saudi Arabia, ensuring a constant water supply throughout the year.
The photovoltaic plant will have a system to optimize power consumption and a pre-treatment phase to reduce the high level of salinity and the oils and fats present in the region's seawater.
The contract will boost Abengoa's desalination capacity to nearly 1,500,000 m3/day, enough to supply 8.5 million people around the world.
Other major projects include the Barka desalination plant in Oman and in the energy sector, a solar plant in Abu Dhabi.
The project represents AWT’s first foray into desalination water production. It plans to expand its activities in the near future to include water reuse and water management.