Marafiq, Austrian Company Sign Deal to Expand Wastewater Treatment Plant in Jubail

Marafiq, Austrian Company Sign Deal to Expand Wastewater Treatment Plant in Jubail
TT

Marafiq, Austrian Company Sign Deal to Expand Wastewater Treatment Plant in Jubail

Marafiq, Austrian Company Sign Deal to Expand Wastewater Treatment Plant in Jubail

Marafiq, Power and Water Utility Company for Jubail and Yanbu announced Wednesday the signing of a deal, worth half a billion riyals, with an Austrian company to expand wastewater treatment plant in eastern Saudi Arabia.

In a statement obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, Marafiq said its President and CEO Abdullah al-Buainain signed the contract with VA TECH WABAG GmbH Company to expand the ninth Sanitary Wastewater Treatment Plant in Jubail.

"This step reflects the company's commitment to its ambitious plans to expand its Sanitary Wastewater Treatment Plant (SWTP-9) and keep up with the population growth in Jubail and its industrial city," the company said.

The expansion of the plant includes independent treatment work to be designed and constructed to treat sewage and solid waste removal.

The plant will use basic processing techniques to remove grease and solid objects.

“Marafiq is confident in providing world-class utility facilities to the new wave of growth for the Saudi Vision 2030 industrial ventures,” stressed Buainain.

“We are extremely honored to have been awarded the contract to expand SWTP-9 Stage six under the leadership of Marafiq,” said CEO of VA TECH WABAG GmbH Deep Raj Saxena.

“We are confident that we will be capable to implement the project and meet Marafiq’s expectations,” he added.

Marafiq is owned by a number of Saudi economic sectors, including Aramco, the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, SABIC, the Public Investment Fund and private sector investors.

It was founded on January 1, 2003, with shares worth SAR 2.5 billion.



Egypt Cuts 2040 Renewable Energy Target to 40%, Keeps Focus on Natural Gas

Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum & Mineral Resources Karim Badawi speaks during a panel discussion as top energy executives and ministers meet in Houston for the annual Gastech conference in Houston, Texas, US, September 17, 2024. REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare/File Photo
Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum & Mineral Resources Karim Badawi speaks during a panel discussion as top energy executives and ministers meet in Houston for the annual Gastech conference in Houston, Texas, US, September 17, 2024. REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare/File Photo
TT

Egypt Cuts 2040 Renewable Energy Target to 40%, Keeps Focus on Natural Gas

Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum & Mineral Resources Karim Badawi speaks during a panel discussion as top energy executives and ministers meet in Houston for the annual Gastech conference in Houston, Texas, US, September 17, 2024. REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare/File Photo
Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum & Mineral Resources Karim Badawi speaks during a panel discussion as top energy executives and ministers meet in Houston for the annual Gastech conference in Houston, Texas, US, September 17, 2024. REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare/File Photo

Egypt has revised its renewable energy target for 2040 down to 40% from a previous goal of 58%, Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi said on Sunday, underscoring that natural gas will remain a key part of the country's energy mix for years.

Before hosting the COP27 climate summit in 2022, Egypt pledged to raise renewable energy production to 42% of its energy mix by 2035, later advancing that target to 2030. In June 2024, then-Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker announced an ambitious plan to raise this to 58% by 2040, a target now abandoned, Reuters reported.

"This is a message to all of us to work together to increase discoveries and attract more investments through the bids being offered for exploration, aiming to achieve new discoveries in the region, which holds more wealth, particularly natural gas," Badawi said in the opening session of the Mediterranean Energy Conference 2024.

Since taking office in July, Badawi has met numerous international energy companies, including Italy’s Eni, which plans to start drilling new wells in Egypt's largest gas field, Zohr, in early 2025 to boost production.

Zohr's gas production peaked at 3.2 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) in 2019, enabling the country to become a net exporter. But output declined to 1.9 bcf/d by early 2024, forcing Egypt to increase gas imports through a pipeline linking it with Israel as well as liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments to avoid a load shedding scheme that went on for months.