International Barges Company for Water Desalination (Bowarege) is the owner and controller of the Barge IWP. In order to devise a rapidly deployable, self-contained solution for water desalination, ACWA Power developed the world’s first barges mounted, self contained desalination plants with onboard power generators and staff accomodation. Both barges are fitted with 25,000m3/day capacity reverse osmosis desalination plants. The barges were initially anchored adjacent to the Shuaibah IWPP to augment its desalinated water output and thereafter relocated to Shuqaiq to alleviate water shortages in the southern region. In June 2011, the barges moved to their current location in Yanbu to support the local water infrastructure.
Each of the two plants has the capacity to produce 25,000 m3/day of desalinated potable water from primary sea water. The barges are fully integrated and functionally independent as they contain all the necessary desalination plant, power generators, laboratories, control rooms and employee housing on board.
The off-taker for the desalinated water is SWCC and the project’s investors are ACWA Power and Rakaa Saudi Power and Water Company.
Concession
Renewable 3 year water sales contract
Location
Yanbu, Red Sea, Western Saudi Arabia
Shareholders
ACWA Power
RAKAA Holding Company
Off taker
Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC)
Cities Supplied
Yanbu and Madinah Monawrah
Project Cost
US$ 0.11 billion
EPC Contractor
WETICO, RAKA and BEMCO
O&M Contractor
NOMAC
Capacity
Water: 25,000 m³/day per Barge
Technology
Water: Reverse Osmosis
Fuel
Diesel for onboard diesel generators
Commercial Operation
Q2, 2008