Ras Al-Khair Power and Desalination Plant
MSF/RO + power, 1,051,312 m3/day (MSF 740,656 and RO 310,656), with 2,400 MW of power in Saudi Arabia.
Operational
Landmark The largest desalination plant in the world, running thermal and membrane trains side by side, with its own line to Riyadh.
The record
- Country
- Saudi Arabia
- Location
- Ras Al-Khair
- Coordinates
- 27.530, 49.140
- Technology
- MSF/RO + power
- Capacity
- 1,051,312 m3/day (MSF 740,656 and RO 310,656), with 2,400 MW of power
- Capital cost
- US$7.2 billion
- Stage
- Operational
- Owner or client
- Saline Water Conversion Corporation, now the Saudi Water Authority
- Contractor
- Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction (desalination EPC), with Saudi Archirodon for marine, dredging, civil and electromechanical works
- Operator
- Saudi Water Authority
- Finance
- Saudi government capital budget
- Award or start year
- 2010
- Commissioned
- 2015
Record last checked 2026-09-18.
History
- 2010-09
Doosan won the US$1.76 billion desalination EPC contract from SWCC
- 2011-12
First of eight MSF evaporators shipped, each 91,000 m3/day and 4,150 tonnes, a world record unit size
- 2014-03
Original completion target
- 2015
Plant completed and named Desalination Plant of the Year at the Global Water Awards
Sources
8 references
Every field in the record above is taken from the references below. A field that none of them confirms prints as a dash.
- Saline Water Conversion Corporation, Annual Report 2022 (English), Production Plants Map, p. 73. swcc.gov.sa.
- gives Ras Al-Khair RO at 310,656 m3/day and Ras Al-Khair MSF at 740,656 m3/day.
- Archirodon project page, Ras Al-Khair Desalination Plant, Jubail. archirodon.net.
- Client SWCC, contract value US$1.8 billion, completion 2015, 1,036,000 m3/day from 8 MSF and 17 RO units, 3 km GRP discharge pipes, intake channel with two 1.4 km rock breakwaters, Global Water Awards Desalination Plant of the Year 2015. WaterWorld, Doosan ships first evaporator unit for Saudi Arabia's Ras Al Khair seawater desalination plant, 13 December 2011. waterworld.com.
- US$1.76 billion contract won in September 2010, eight evaporators of 91,000 m3/day each, the largest unit capacity in the world, completion targeted March 2014. Dar Engineering project page. dar-engineering.com.
- five-block 2,400 MW power plant and hybrid MSF and RO desalination plant of 728 million litres a day, US$7.2 billion construction value.
- US-Saudi Business Council, 7 January 2021. ussaudi.org.
- MENA Water Review major projects register and PPP pipeline — compiled from procurer publications, development-bank project pages and trade reporting; each record names its source.
cost US$7.2 billion, commissioning 2015.