ACCIONA, a leading company in the development of water and other sustainable infrastructure, together with its local partners Tawzea and Tamasuk, has closed green loans totaling $480 million for three independent sewage treatment plants (ISTPs) in Saudi Arabia.

These new water treatment contracts have been awarded by the state-owned Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC).

With the financial close of these projects, ACCIONA takes a further step in its commitment to sustainability and innovation. For the first time in its water projects, the company is structuring not only a green loan but also an Islamic financing.

The financial close of these three ISTPs at the same time, in only six months, is a major milestone in the water sector, as a result of the joint work between SWPC and the Project Companies.

The financing syndicate for Madinah-3, Buraydah-2 and Tabuk-2 includes local, regional, and international lenders.  The financing structure incorporates an Islamic tranche for 60% of the value of the loans structured as an “Ijara Facility”, or Islamic leasing. Investors and financial institutions are increasingly allocating capital to green infrastructure projects such as water treatment plants.

The Project Companies developed a Green Loan Framework in accordance with Green Loan Principles 2021 of the Loan Market Association, the Asia Pacific Loan Market Association, and the Loan Syndications & Trading Associations. Under this framework, the green loans will finance expenditures related to the wastewater treatment projects. S&P Global Ratings has certified the finance for these projects as green, in compliance with best practices.The three ISTPs will treat the wastewater of up to 2 million inhabitants and contribute to national efforts to conserve and reuse water, in accordance with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, its blueprint for sustainable development and economic diversification. Vision 2030 places a particular focus on optimizing the use of renewable water resources for agriculture purposes, and improving the efficiency of municipal and agricultural water consumption.

Key environmental features of the ISTP Projects include the recycling of wastewater for agricultural activities; the treatment and reuse of sewage sludge for agricultural use as fertilizer and also for cement manufacturing (‘zero-sludge-dispatch’ method); and the use of renewable electricity to power the wastewater treatment plants.

The quality and quantity of treated water will comply with stringent technical requirements to meet the needs of local farmers for irrigation. ACCIONA will carry out baseline environmental surveys and develop a full Environmental and Social impact assessment (“ESIA”) for the plants.

Tamasuk is a diversified infrastructure developer and investor, headquartered in Riyadh and invested across clean energy, utilities, healthcare, education, and digital infrastructure.