Caspian Seawater Desalination Project

Caspian Seawater Desalination Project

The Caspian Seawater Desalination Project is the first large-scale seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination project in the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Caspian region, as well as the first public-private partnership (PPP) project in the history of Azerbaijan, and one of the country’s most strategic water infrastructure initiatives.

The project is being developed by Acwa in partnership with the Government of Azerbaijan under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Located in the city of Sumgayit, the project will have a planned capacity of 300,000 m³ of desalinated water per day.

The project is designed to strengthen Azerbaijan’s long-term water security, support sustainable industrial development, and address growing water demand driven by population growth, urbanization, and climate-related challenges.

Key documents

  • ESIA Volume 1 : Technical Summary

  • ESIA Volume 2: Main Text

  • ESIA Volume 3: Framework for Environmental and Social Management

  • ESIA Volume 4 : Appendices

  • Stakeholder Engagement Plan

Key facts

  • Location

    Sumgayit city, Azerbaijan

  • Offtaker

    Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency

  • Capacity

    300.000 m3 daily

  • Technology

    SWRO Technology

  • Investment cost

    US $ 407 million

  • Acwa share

    100%

  • Offtake contract

    25-year PPPA BOO(T)

  • Other investors

    EBRD (syndicated with OFID, ILX and PGGM )

  • Project company

    Caspian Sea Azerbaijan Project Company LLC

  • Operations & maintenance company

    Acwa Operations

  • Engineering, procurement & construction company

    Power China Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited