Advanced Water Technology
Advanced Water Technology (AWT) consists of a group of business and engineering professionals with core-expertise in water solutions, who aspire to bring change through to the world’s water sector. A world where water resources are sustainable through innovative solutions that contribute to the economic diversification of the Kingdom is the vision that drives the entire team forwards at AWT, with innovation, sustainability and performance being utilised in order to achieve its objectives.
A subsidiary of TAQNIA, which is owned and funded by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia, and a commercial arm of KACST, AWT is headquartered in Riyadh and shares with its parent company the strategic goal of diversifying the economy of Saudi Arabia. This means promoting a knowledge-based economy, commercialising R&D, and working with world-leading industry players in the transfer of knowledge.
Furthermore, the company strategically aligns itself to support the interests and aims of various stakeholders, including, but not limited, to WEC, ARAMCO, MOWE, MOF, SWCC, NWC, and those mentioned above.
A World First
AWT exists in the context of opportunity, brought on by the shift toward sustainability. The company is positioned to capitalise on this opportunity to the benefit of its stakeholders and to those it serves. However, to take advantage of these opportunities it is important to be able to spot them first, and this is something that AWT is particularly adept at. Indeed, its clear vision and core capabilities in design and engineering always allow it to execute projects on time and to budget, no matter what the challenge.
This enlightened business philosophy led to it working on the world’s first large-scale desalination plant powered by solar power, Al Khafji. This pioneering project is a milestone in the drive toward sustainability, providing a practical solution to a fast approaching world water crisis. By reducing operation costs through renewable energy, desalination becomes an increasingly viable answer to accessing clean water
Al Khafji Solar Saline Water Reverse Osmosis (Solar SWRO) Desalination Plant near the Kuwait border in Saudi Arabia is capable of treating 60,000m3 of water per day, which means that it can supply over 100,000 people with desalinated seawater every day. And it achieves this without leaving any carbon trace whatsoever. The plant produces a surplus of energy during the day, which it can then use at night. This means that the plant produces zero carbon emissions, making it the first zero carbon emission desalination plant globally.
Part of an initiative in the King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Al Khafji Solar SWRO Desalination Plant can be upgraded to handle a maximum of 90,000m3 and serve 150,000 people on a daily basis. The plant will make use of the new Solar Seawater Reverse Osmosis (Solar SWRO) desalination method and use ultra-filtration (UF) in the pre-treatment process.
This is not a simple process though, as the seawater in the region has high salinity, which make filtration complex. This is further complicated by seasonal red tides, sea shallowness and a profusion of jellyfish. Having taken all of this into considerable, the plant has been designed to be extremely resistant to the changes in seawater conditions.
The core idea behind the concept of this plant is that it can continue functioning even if trade lines become blocked or fuel supplies run out. Khafji Solar SWRO Desalination Plant is able to provide a regular supply of water throughout the year, with the plant’s system optimising power consumption to ensure that water production will be increased during peak power supply from the photovoltaic plant. The state-of-the-art tracking technology will further maximise the availability of solar power.
This revolutionary plant will be a blessing to those who live in the region, providing clean drinking water to those who are without and need it most.
New Joint-Venture
The company has entered into a new technology partnership known as ‘CODECO’ which, under the umbrella of KACST, is a joint-venture between AWT and NET (New Energy Transfer) that focuses on the following objectives:
- The utilisation of existing desalination brine to increase efficiency
- Lower chemical consumption
- Lower Power consumption
- Reduction of scaling risk
CODECO has now reached the joint-venture phase and goal is to have a manufacturing facility up and running in 2019.
World-Class Research and Development
Rapidly building its capabilities in engineering, design, innovation and project management, AWT is partnering through joint-ventures with a variety of industry leaders in the field of water desalination and water reuse. Moreover, the company is developing a capacity for O&M and is committed to taking the role of developer and equity shareholder of water plant facilities.
Behind the company’s ongoing success is its capacity to draw upon world-class research and development through its established relationship and association with KACST and KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science & Technology). Groundbreaking advancements in water and energy are channelled through AWT’s R&D technology-to-market pathway.
AWT’s future objectives are both regional and international, even though it recognises that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia provides the most immediate opportunities. The Saudi market represents building-blocks for AWT, as demand in Kingdom constitutes a sizable percentage of the world’s market share.
AWT welcomes all interested potential partners and stakeholders who share in its vision and mission.