Amaala Utilities: The Perfect Water Cycle

It was January 2022 when the documentation for a new tender landed on my desk, igniting everything that followed.

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Imagine you want to build a city or a facility in a remote area without much services (power, water, roads,...). How did they foresee the water facilities? I was experiencing the amazing challenge of being a Proposal Manager.

The Project

The next perfect water cycle:

1. Providing clean water: A desalination plant takes water from the sea, treats it, and pumps it to various storage areas at different altitudes through GRP underground pipelines.
2. This clean water is stored in large concrete tanks, which supply water for different uses.
3. Once the water is used, the wastewater flows back to one of the Wastewater Treatment Plants (or Sewage Treatment Plants, as they are commonly known in Saudi Arabia).
4. The sewage water undergoes treatment with a focus on reuse. It’s not just biological treatment; the wastewater goes through a polishing process using membranes, AC filters, and more, to create Treated Sewage Effluent (TSE), which is then delivered again for reuse purposes, primarily in gardening and green zones.

This project had it all—desalination, pumping stations, potable networks, wastewater treatment plants, TSE networks... the perfect water cycle.

Take a look at the site.

Site Video

Main Headache

One of the main challenges was definitely how to respect the sea during the execution of the intake and outfall for the desalination plant.

To minimize or completely avoid any impact, strict limitations were placed on dredging, and the depth for locating the outfall and intake ranged from 30 to 50 meters. This posed significant difficulty.

Microtunneling was the preferred approach, as it allowed the coral reef to remain intact.

Impressive work by the client, as the feasibility studies were conducted at an exceptional level. They thoroughly analyzed different plot alternatives, weighing their pros and cons, until finding the one that was the most respectful to the environment.

The project was ultimately awarded to Masdar and EDF.

Lessons Learnt

What I learn from this project:

1. Not always can you win.
2. You’re granted a few weeks or months to digest documentation and addendums that may cover thousands of pages. It’s simply NOT possible to read and analyze everything. I feel that nowadays, with AI analyzing full sources of documents, this could help reduce risks and be more productive, as explained on our platform in the next link. Access to AI Episode
3. Cost estimation in remote areas is tricky. Limited infrastructure, reluctance of subcontractors to move, etc. You need to carefully analyze every detail. There are many intangible aspects that translating into numbers isn’t straightforward.
4. I still don’t know if a DAF (Dissolved Air Flotation) is worth installing in a desalination plant or not. The discussion is always there. Is it worth the Capex? Many say it isn’t used nearly enough during the plant’s lifetime. Given the critical nature of the facility, it can’t afford to fail—thus, DAF is considered alongside high levels of redundancy. Most common risks involve oil & grease, as well as algae blooms.
5. In big PPP (Public-Private Partnership) projects that integrate water, power, and other facilities, sometimes the water design can be influenced by power to optimize energy consumption. That’s why it’s so important to have a broad view not only of our industry but also related industries. Water is linked to everything.
6. GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) pipelines in potable networks—pressure matters. It’s not the same having a PN6 than a PN16, especially if you’re considering push joints, due to the risks of leaks. Sometimes, it’s preferable to go with laminated joints, despite being more expensive, because it provides a safer solution. It’s tricky to find the right balance for all parties.
7. When you need to lay a pipe more than 30 km, crossing nature, mountains, and wadis, the analysis of surveys and soil data is critical. Invest time in checking meter by meter, as this could make or break your project. Whether you face soil, rock, complex topography, or groundwater, every detail matters.
8. Pumping stations offer a fun challenge, balancing Capex and Opex across different pipe diameters, pump units, efficiencies, etc.
9. Watch out if the client requests a minimum pressure to be maintained throughout the route. There may be a need to connect fire hydrants. So, despite water needing to travel from point A to point B, the hydraulic profile may need to be amended to maintain minimum pressure.
10. The environment matters. I doubt you’ll find anywhere in the world more stringent requirements for respecting the environment than in this area under development—whether it’s coral reefs, the seabed, the shoreline, visibility impact, odors, etc. A big shoutout to those driving efforts beyond.

This project is a clear example of why we need a holistic view of our industry. Everything is connected.

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