A joint venture ( JV ) between Saudi Arabia-based Acwa Power and Turkish company IC Ictas Insaat has won the bid for the Azerbaijan government’s Caspian seawater reverse osmosis project, which involves the JV building a desalination plant with a daily capacity of approximately 300,000 cubic metres of water.

The plant, located at the Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park in the eastern Caucasian country, will meet the increasing demand for drinking water in its capital city of Baku and the Absheron peninsula.

Acwa Power was chosen as the successful bidder for the project following a competitive tender process conducted within the first-ever public-private partnership ( PPP ) framework in Azerbaijan.

The project’s duration is 27.5 years, after which consortium will transfer the management of the facility to the Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency.

Azerbaijan is prioritizing enhanced water resource management to address water security challenges, aligning with its National Strategy on Efficient Use of Water Resources.

“Acwa Power is honoured to secure this critical project in Azerbaijan, supporting the Azerbaijani government and its entities in improving water supply and climate change resilience,” says Marco Arcelli, ACWA Power’s CEO. “This achievement highlights Acwa Power’s competitive advantage in the international desalination market and reaffirms its commitment to providing sustainable and affordable supply of potable water to the communities globally.”