The Suez Oil Processing Company (SOPC) awarded Cannon Artes an integrated desalination and demineralization plant for the modernization project of its Suez refinery.

In 2021, SOPC launched an international tender to award a massive desalination and demineralization plant. Only two companies qualified for the commercial phase after an extremely stringent technical screening, and Cannon Artes emerged as the winner for the tender for the supply of the plant with a value in excess of $31 million

According to the contract, one of the biggest ever performed by the entire Cannon Group, Cannon Artes will be responsible for designing, engineering, manufacturing, delivering, commissioning, and starting an integrated water treatment plant. Delivery is expected in Q1 2024. The plant will be fed with water from the Red Sea and will make it suitable for various purposes within the refinery.

With an incoming capacity of nearly 30,000 m3 per day and an overall footprint in excess of a football field, this plant will rely on Cannon Artes’ capabilities and experience in both desalination plants and customized solutions for refineries.

“We are excited to use our know-how, expertise, and Italian technology to realize this milestone project for Suez Oil Processing Company,” said Pasquale Punzo, CEO at Cannon Artes. “The size of this project provides unique engineering challenges that our team is eager to tackle.”

Established in 1921, the SOPC refinery, located at the entrance of the Suez Canal on the Red Sea, has a capacity of 68,000 barrels of oil per day. In a bid to boost sustainability through reduced environmental impact and energy efficiency, SOPC secured a €200 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).