In January 2021, Middle East Construction News reported that Acciona had finished building the Al Khobar 1 reverse osmosis plant for the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC). According to the company, the plant had been delivering more than its rated output since 26 December 2020. It was designed for 210,000 m³/day, enough for a population equivalent of about 350,000. Because the pandemic limited travel, a team in Madrid ran testing and start-up remotely using a digital twin of the plant.
The report showed that digital twins and remote control became tools during the pandemic for bringing large desalination plants into service on time with few staff on site.
Source: Middle East Construction News