ACWA Power Signs $545 Mn Financing Agreement for Rabigh-4 in Western Saudi Arabia

ACWA Power is developing multiple energy and water desalination projects in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
ACWA Power is developing multiple energy and water desalination projects in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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ACWA Power Signs $545 Mn Financing Agreement for Rabigh-4 in Western Saudi Arabia

ACWA Power is developing multiple energy and water desalination projects in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
ACWA Power is developing multiple energy and water desalination projects in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)

ACWA Power signed financing and guarantee agreements for Rawabi Water Desalination Company for the Rabigh-4 Independent Water Plant in Yanbu.

Under the agreements, ACWA Power will receive long-term financing worth $545.3 million, according to information released on Sunday.

- Financing alliance

According to a Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) statement, the financing party is represented by a financing alliance consisting of local and international banks, including Standard Chartered, the Saudi National Bank, Riyad Bank, and the Saudi Bank.

- Investment cost

According to the information, the project's total investment cost is $678 million, financed through long-term debt and shareholders' capital.

ACWA Power's share in the project in Rabigh, western Saudi Arabia, is 45 percent.

The Rabigh 4 IWP Project has a 600,000 m3/ day seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant, a PWSF tank of 1,200,000 m3, and a PV capacity of 6.804 MWp.

ACWA Power explained that seawater reverse osmosis is a hot topic in the water treatment industry, with the lowest energy requirements, some of the highest usage rates, and one of the best filtration rates on the market.

- Project award

In July, ACWA Power announced the signing of an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract with a consortium of Power China, SEPCOIII, and WETICO for the 600,000 m3/day Rabigh 4 Independent Water Plant (IWP) project.

Financial close for the project is expected during the third quarter of 2023.



Starbucks Workers Expand Strike in US Cities Including New York

Starbucks workers hold signs as they picket during a strike in front of a Starbucks to demand collective bargaining agreements in Burbank, California on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
Starbucks workers hold signs as they picket during a strike in front of a Starbucks to demand collective bargaining agreements in Burbank, California on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
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Starbucks Workers Expand Strike in US Cities Including New York

Starbucks workers hold signs as they picket during a strike in front of a Starbucks to demand collective bargaining agreements in Burbank, California on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
Starbucks workers hold signs as they picket during a strike in front of a Starbucks to demand collective bargaining agreements in Burbank, California on December 20, 2024. (AFP)

Starbucks workers have expanded their strike to four more US cities, including New York, the union representing over 10,000 baristas said late on Saturday.

The five-day strike, which began on Friday and initially closed Starbucks cafes in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, has added New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia and St. Louis, Workers United said in a statement. It did not say where the New Jersey walkout was occurring.

Starbucks did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.

Talks between the coffee chain and the union hit an impasse with unresolved issues over wages, staffing and schedules, leading to the strike.

The union is striking in 10 cities, also including Columbus, Denver and Pittsburgh, during the busy holiday season that may impact the company's Christmas sales.

Workers United warned on Friday that the strike could reach "hundreds of stores" by Tuesday, Christmas Eve.

Starbucks began negotiations with the union in April. It said this month it had conducted more than eight bargaining sessions, during which 30 agreements had been reached.

The company operates more than 11,000 stores in the United States, employing about 200,000 workers.