Salini Impregilo seals US$255 million Saudi deal

The Fisia Italimpianti unit of Salini Impregilo has signed a US$255 million contract to design and build a water desalination plant in Saudi Arabia in partnership with a Spanish-based firm.

Located on the western coast of Saudi Arabia, in the Shuaiba area, the plant will use reverse osmosis technology to deliver up to 250,000 m³ of water per day. Potable water will be supplied to more than one million residents in the cities of Mecca, Jeddah and Taif.

Fisia Italimpianti, which holds a 50% share in the contract, has signed a limited notice to proceed with Acwa Power to begin preparatory work. It is expected that a full notice to proceed will be signed by July 27, 2017, and the works will be completed by May 2019.

According to Salini Impregilo, this new order confirms Genoa-based Fisia Italimpianti as one of the world’s leading builders of large desalination plants, with more than 4 million m³ per day of installed capacity and one of the few able to deploy the two prevailing technologies used in the sector: thermal and reverse osmosis.