The system now serves all of Red Sea Global’s operational hotels and the logistics hub
Saudi-listed Acwa, the world’s largest private water desalination company, a leader in the energy transition, and a first mover into green hydrogen at scale, has reached Project Commercial Operation Date (PCOD) for The Red Sea destination, with the certificate signed by Marafiq Red Sea for Energy Company (Marafiq), the project company formed by Acwa with SPIC Huanghe Hydropower and Saudi Tabreed and by The Red Sea Utilities Company, a subsidiary of Red Sea Global.
The signing confirms that the utility systems are in commercial service. This marks the first time a giga-project in the Kingdom has successfully brought its entire utility systems into commercial operation powered solely by renewable energy, with no reliance on or support from the national grid.
“As the world’s largest integrated off-grid utilities system, and the first of its kind at this scale, the project sets a new global benchmark for sustainable development,” stated Mohammad Abunayyan, Founder and Chairman, Acwa.
Sustainable infrastructure
“By operating without a connection to the national grid and powering the destination entirely through renewable energy, we are demonstrating how sustainable infrastructure can support tourism that gives back to the natural environment and the communities on which it depends,” added John Pagano, Group CEO, Red Sea Global.
The scope of the project also covers the construction of three seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plants, a waste management center and a sewage treatment plant (STP) that will allow 16,000 cbm / day of waste to be treated in a way that enhances the environment by creating new wetland habitats and supplementing irrigation water for the RSG landscape nursery and Shura Links golf course.
The construction phase was delivered with an LTI (lost time injury), free milestone achieved across 30mn safe working hours, a safety record of distinction for a program of its scale and complexity that has been executed in a remote coastal environment.
