The world’s largest combined water and electricity plant was opened in Saudi Arabia. The $2.45 billion plant, built by Siemens in Jeddah, began construction in early 2009.
The Shuaibah Independent Water and Power Project (IWPP) is the first independently operated and financed water and power project in Saudi Arabia. With Arabian light crude oil as fuel, this plant uses steam for power generation and desalinates water using multi-stage flash distillation technology.
“According to the research company Business Monitor International in its second quarter [of] 2010 power report for Middle East and Africa, primary energy demand will increase by more than 71% by 2019,” Anita Mathews, exhibition director at Power Generation and Water Middle East, told The Media Line. “But that demand will be met if the country’s utility providers generate annual energy growth of 5.4% over the next nine years.”
The Middle East has increased its alternative energy implementations with Mathews saying, “These sustainable initiatives show that the region is making steady and tangible progress.” She continued, “Something has to give. Increased demand can be met through existing resources, but there will be a negative impact on the environment, with increased carbon emissions.”
The Shuaibah IWPP comprises three steam turbine-generator units, each rated at 400 MW with 300 MW of that being used internally for the power and desalination plant. Estimates see the country’s demand for new power-generating capacity and water increasing at a staggering rate of 10% per year in some areas. An estimated $266.7 billion investment in the water and power industries, from now till 2025, is needed to meet this demand.
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