Saudi Arabian treatment plant chooses Nereda® technology

Wastewater treatment plants in the Middle East face the same challenges as plants elsewhere in the world: stringent water quality regulations, increasing demand, population growth, and aging assets. Yet, desert characteristics – pervasive sand, extremes of heat and cold, long periods of severe drought, and heavy, monsoonal rain – pose unique challenges.

Water infrastructure projects are central to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy, and a new independent sewage treatment plant (ISTP) at Al Haer is planned for the city of Riyadh. However, the ISTP had to find the water treatment technology that meets growing demand with the lowest total cost of ownership. Winning an open, transparent tendering process Saudi Arabia’s national sanitation body, the Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC), tenders key infrastructure projects to the private sector using the proven “Buy, Own, Operate, Transfer” method. This established process provides a framework for accountability, accelerating system deployment.

In early 2023, SWPC launched an international tendering process for Al Haer based on the following key criteria:

• High environmental standards
• Lowest lifecycle cost (TotEx)
• High performance for delivery time, compliance, and effluent quality

The technology must also deliver a treatment capacity of 200,000 cubic metres per day and high-quality effluent, allowing treated water to be safely reused in agriculture. 
Nereda® met every key requirement and was the central technology in two of the four bids put forward. Now, Haskoning can announce that Nereda® has been selected for Al Haer, and our long-term partner, WABAG, an experienced water infrastructure specialist and Nereda® licensee, has been chosen to deliver it.

Configuring Nereda® for Saudi Arabia Haskoning has worked with WABAG in Saudi Arabia for over a decade. The Nereda® ISTP at Jeddah Airport has been operating successfully since 2023, and the team is keen to use lessons from this project at Al Haer. Recognising the importance of robustness, capacity, and flexibility to maintaining high effluent quality, the new ISTP will comprise six large Nereda® reactors of 14,000 m3 each. The increased scale will ensure the plant operates at maximum efficiency in every season.

The Aqua Suite Nereda® controller will enable operators to automate monitoring and coordinate the treatment process for maximum plant performance. Al Haer will also receive a training programme and Operational Support to ensure the new plant is fully optimised. Haskoning is delighted that the transparent tendering process selected Nereda® for the new ISTP at Al Haer. We look forward to partnering with WABAG and SWPC to deliver wastewater treatment for the people of Riyadh.