Doosan to build world’s largest MED desalination unit

Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction has signed an agreement with the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) in Saudi Arabia to co-build what will be the world’s largest single multi-effect distillation (MED) desalination unit.

The US$ 124 million agreement for the Phase 2 plant at Yanbu, 350km north of Jeddah, was announced on 7 February 2011. The unit will have a capacity of 15 MIGD (68,190 m³/d) almost twice as large as the 8.5 MIGD (38,000 m³/d) Fujairah unit in the United Arab Emirates.

Under the agreement, Doosan will carry out engineering, fabrication, installation, commissioning and all other related scopes of work on an engineering, procurement and construction basis. SWCC and Doosan will collaborate on advanced technology development through exchange of know-how and technology sharing.

Doosan says that the project order displays the market’s recognition of the MED market, which is growing due to low energy-consumption trends. The company is also building the world’s largest single-unit multi-stage flash (MSF) evaporator (20 MIGD; 91,000 m³/d) for the Ras Azzour plant in Saudi Arabia which it won last year.

Construction of a unit of this size extends the range of MED technology considerably as it encroaches further on the capacities normally the province of MSF. Doosan hopes to lead the future MED desalination plant market in partnership with SWCC.

The Yanbu Phase 2 project is due for completion by August 2012.