Fisia Italimpianti, a subsidiary of Italy’s Webuild Group, has achieved a major milestone at Saudi Aramco’s offshore Zuluf oilfield in eastern Saudi Arabia with the successful production of first usable water from its newly constructed groundwater treatment plant.
The achievement, known in the industry as “First Water”, marks the official transition from the construction phase to full operational readiness. Pressurised lines and key performance parameters are now aligned to meet Saudi Aramco's strict operational requirements ahead of commercial operations scheduled to begin in the coming months.
The facility forms part of Aramco’s broader Arab Heavy (AH) Crude Oil Increment development programme for the Zuluf field. Located onshore approximately 6 km west of the airport in Tanajib, the plant built for the Zuluf Central Processing Facilities serves the development's onshore structures.
Execution was structured under an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract covering the full build phase. Designed to address a complex engineering challenge, the specialised facility processes harsh groundwater characterised by high salinity, heavy mineral content, and entrained gases and hydrocarbons. Specifically, the facility will treat, degas, and filter the water to remove iron and suspended solids transforming this raw groundwater into a high-purity fluid suitable for reinjection into offshore wells. This process is essential to maintain reservoir pressure in the underground reserve and ensure the uninterrupted extraction of crude oil in the Arabian Gulf.
At full capacity, the facility will process up to 185,000 cu m of water per day using advanced purification systems, specialised gas management technology, and process solutions engineered to minimise residual waste.
Technical KPIs and process systems
The plant integrates several high-specification treatment systems to manage raw groundwater and process streams:
• Degassing system: Removes entrained gases from incoming source water.
• Off-gas treatment and compression: Captures, treats, and compresses extracted gases for safe handling.
• Multi-stage water treatment: Utilises clariflocculation, dual-media filtration, and fine cartridge filtration to yield high-purity injection fluid.
• Sludge management line: Features centrifuge dewatering units to process and minimise solid waste outputs.
In addition to the EPC phase, long-term operations and maintenance (O&M) will be executed under a dedicated 25-year contract. For this operational phase, Fisia Italimpianti holds a 20 per cent stake in a joint venture alongside partners Almar Water Solutions, Aljomaih Energy and Water Company and Aquatech International.
These twin awards mark a pivotal commercial milestone, signifying Fisia Italimpianti’s strategic entry into the oil and gas sector while simultaneously marking its return to the long-term water sector O&M market. For the broader Webuild Group, the project expands its industrial service operations across the GCC while reinforcing its reputation as a global leader in complex water infrastructure.