The 2023 Global Water Awards, which recognized global water projects that have  performed in an outstanding manner during the year, are presented by water industry consulting agency Global Water Intelligence (hereinafter, “GWI” ). This year, two water projects in the Philippines and Saudi Arabia in which Marubeni had a stake were recognized at the Awards, during which these were respectively commended as Water Reuse Project of the Year 2023, and Desalination Plant of the Year 2023.

・The Parañaque New Water Plant, which is owned and operated by Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (hereinafter, ”Maynilad”) in Metro Manila, the Philippines, was chosen for the Water Reuse Project of the Year 2023 from among a number of exceptional water projects that began their operations in 2022.

・The Shuqaiq 3 Independent Water Project (hereinafter, “Shuqaiq 3”) in Saudi Arabia was singled out for the distinction of Desalination Plant of the Year 2023, from among the other exceptional desalination projects that commenced their operations in the previous year.

Parañaque New Water project is an initiative led by Maynilad—a licensed public utilities (concessionaire) water and wastewater company—which services a population of 10 million people in the West Zone of Metro Manila in the Philippines.
Through this project, Maynilad will supply 10 million liters of recycled water (New Water) per day to the neighboring areas. This New Water is the result of advanced processing using a membrane treatment process applied to treated wastewater effluent discharged from the Parañaque Wastewater Treatment Plant to produce drinkable water. This initiative to feed recycled water directly back to the public water system is the first of its kind in Asia.

With no precedents for such reuse of wastewater to produce potable water in the Philippines, the team in charge acquired the operational permit needed through collaborative efforts with regulatory bodies and by following WHO guidelines on water reuse. The project’s success paves the way for future potable reuse projects in the country and region.
The dedicated Maynilad team carried out substantial information and education campaigns to dispel public concern over potable reuse. The campaigns led to strong levels of acceptance of this safe and sustainable water source among consumers and key stakeholders alike.
With water scarcity crises arising from high demand in Metro Manila, alongside heightening climate pressures, Maynilad plans to continue expanding New Water initiatives to provide a climate-independent, reliable, and safe source of drinking water.

Shuqaiq 3 is an Independent Water Project (IWP) that includes the construction, ownership, and operation of a seawater desalination plant, and is being implemented by the Saudi Arabian Government to meet the growing demand for water on the coastlines of the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia.
Shuqaiq Three Company for Water, a company in which Marubeni (alongside its partners in the project) has a stake, signed a long-term Water Purchase Agreement (WPA) with a Saudi Arabian state-owned company in 2019, and commenced its commercial operations in January 2022.

Shuqaiq 3 was delivered with no significant delays to the construction schedule, despite the major, worldwide disruptions to project timelines as a result of the global pandemic. The project has also been recognized for its opening up of new opportunities to develop local talent in the world’s largest desalination market of Saudi Arabia, and for becoming a new focus point for the development of water industry professionals in Saudi Arabia. This is the second time this project has been honored at the Global Water Awards, following its previous receipt of the Water Deal of the Year 2020 award.

Marubeni has concluded BOO^*1/BOT^*2 and operation and maintenance contracts for desalination plants, wastewater plants, transmission pipelines, and pumping stations, as well as providing full concession services in Asia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Marubeni will leverage the knowledge and experience accumulated from its global business to fulfill its sustainable social responsibility to provide reliable and safe water services to people living in areas where access to water is at a premium.

1 BOO: Build, Own and Operate

2 BOT: Build, Own and Transfer

 

Reference
・December 25, 2020
 “Shuqaiq 3 IWP in Saudi Arabia and Maynilad Water Services’ Putatan 2 Water
 Treatment Plant in the Philippines Received International Awards for Water Projects”
 https://www.marubeni.com/en/news/2020/info/00005.html