SWRO Drinking Water Project in Shuqaiq: Advanced BWRO, Membrane Oxidation, and Scaling

Abstract

Located on the southwestern coast of Saudi Arabia, the Shuqaiq Phase-II Independent Water and Power Project supplies water and power to the cities of Abha and Jizan and the surrounding area. The region has been subject to recent water and power shortages. The 1,020-MW power plant consists of three 340-MW steam turbines and heavy crude oil-fired boilers and generators. The seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant, one of Saudi Arabia's largest, has the capacity to produce 212,000-m³/day of desalinated drinking water and achieves 14 mg/L of chloride ion and 0.5 mg/L of boron for product water quality. The Shuqaiq plant will use a two-pass desalting process that uses SWRO and brackish-water RO. This article summarizes the plant's commissioning and commercial operation, including membrane oxidation and scaling at high pH.