EXCLUSIVE: Abu Dhabi plans independent water project

Desalination plant

Abu Dhabi Electricity & Water Authority (Adwea) is planning to oversee the development of the emirate’s first independent water project (IWP).

Adwea recently received bids from firms to provide technical advisory services for the proposed reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant.

The advisory contract will involve determining the final capacity of the plant and location. The capacity is expected to be about 50 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD), which could be extended up to 80 MIGD in a couple of phases.

Possible sites are believed to be:

  • Mirfa
  • Umm al-Nar
  • Taweelah
  • Emirates Aluminium site
  • Fujairah

While Abu Dhabi has implemented several independent water and power projects (IWPPs) over the past 20 years, the planned IWP would be the emirate’s first privately financed standalone desalination plant.

Traditionally in the GCC’s utilities sector, desalination capacity, mainly thermal, was coupled with power in cogeneration plants. However, this is now starting to change, with the emergence of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) as a less energy-intensive technology.

The decoupling of desalination from power plants will assist with providing a more efficient supply of water when required, particularly with the significant power capacity due to come online from the under-construction 5.6GW Baraka nuclear power plant in the coming three years.

Saudi Arabia is also planning to develop several major IWPs in the coming years, having previously developed desalination supply in cogeneration facilities. 

Related Posts
EXCLUSIVE: Adnoc expected to seek contractors for Dalma gas field in third quarter
Scope of work includes building platforms and pipelines at offshore sour gas field in Abu Dhabi   Adnoc Sour Gas – the sour gas unit of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company ...
READ MORE
Crisis unsettles water demand and supply
Health emergency drives water demand and could disrupt projects delivery On 21 March, Saudi Arabia’s National Water Company said it will increase the supply of water to 9.7 million cubic metres ...
READ MORE
IMF sharply lowers regional growth projections
Downward revision comes as IMF warns of deteriorating economic headwinds for the region The IMF has downgraded sharply its forecast for regional economic growth due to lower-than-expected oil prices and a ...
READ MORE
UAE construction returns to 2010 playbook
Project bodies are making the same moves that they made following the global financial crisis The UAE’s construction sector is responding to the Covid-19 pandemic in ways that are reminiscent of ...
READ MORE
Abu Dhabi to tender Borouge 4 in mid-2020
Maire Tecnimont is expected to take between one and one a half years to complete the feed works Abu Dhabi Polymers Company (Borouge), the joint venture of Adnoc and Austria’s Borealis, ...
READ MORE
Dubai eyes rare bond issuance
Around $2bn could be issued in Islamic loans and bonds as government lending to Emirates tops AED7.3bn The Dubai government plans to offer bonds and Islamic securities as it contends with ...
READ MORE
Short-term outlook for GCC projects market deteriorates
Heading into the final quarter of 2018, it seems that the regional market has yet to recover from the damage caused by low oil prices As we enter the final quarter ...
READ MORE
Lessons from Covid-19 – Mashreq JLL MEED Healthcare Partnership Newsletter – July 2021
The Mashreq JLL MEED Healthcare Partnership is a knowledge-sharing initiative that aims to provide a platform for senior healthcare industry executives to discuss and address the challenges facing one of ...
READ MORE
Gas pipelines
Project is estimated to be worth $15bn The bid submission deadline for companies to bid for the design contract for Abu Dhabi’s Hail and Ghasha Sour Gas Development has been pushed ...
READ MORE
Debt relief for DXB Entertainments
Payments for AED4.2bn ($1.15bn) facility deferred for 15 months as Legoland Hotel launch is delayed DXB Entertainments, the Dubai Financial Market-listed operator of Dubai Parks and Resorts, has received debt relief ...
READ MORE
EXCLUSIVE: Adnoc expected to seek contractors for Dalma
Crisis unsettles water demand and supply
IMF sharply lowers regional growth projections
UAE construction returns to 2010 playbook
Abu Dhabi to tender Borouge 4 in mid-2020
Dubai eyes rare bond issuance
Short-term outlook for GCC projects market deteriorates
Lessons from Covid-19 – Mashreq JLL MEED Healthcare
Deadline extended for UAE sour gas development
Debt relief for DXB Entertainments
02 November, 2017 | .By Andrew Roscoe