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
Sheikh Mohammed says UAE needs to adjust pace of real estate projects
UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai warns that projects need to avoid becoming a source of burden UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai ...
READ MORE
Lower oil prices forecast for 2020
Analysts predict rising inventories will weigh on prices The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) is expecting the average price of crude to be lower in 2020 than in 2019 due to ...
READ MORE
Celebrating excellence in GCC projects at MEED Projects Awards in association with Mashreq
The purpose of the MEED Projects Awards is to celebrate the best that the GCC projects industry has to offer. MEED’s aim is to support the development of the region ...
READ MORE
Building Future Cities – MEED Mashreq Construction Partnership July 2019 Newsletter
The MEED Mashreq Construction Partnership has developed a powerful flow of data and insight on the construction sector. Through our dynamic programme of high-level industry clubs and research reports, the ...
READ MORE
EXCLUSIVE: Abu Dhabi to tender two bridges
Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada) has close to $4bn projects in pre-execution phase including these bridge schemes Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada) expects to tender two major bridge schemes in ...
READ MORE
Italian firm to design Saudi mosque
The complex will accommodate 3,000 worshippers when it is completed Italian firm Schiattarella Associati has been appointed to carry out the design work for a 22,500 square metre mosque project in ...
READ MORE
CONSTRUCTION CLUB 1: The inaugural Mashreq Construction Club highlights
In October, the first of the Mashreq Construction Clubs took place at Jumeirah al-Naseem, Dubai. This inaugural event focused on the finance audience, with attendees including the CEOs and CFOs of ...
READ MORE
Abu Dhabi signs financing deal for Etihad Rail stage 2
Etihad Rail received prequalification applications from potential bidders for design and build contracts on stage 2 The UAE Ministry of Finance and the Abu Dhabi Department of Finance have signed an agreement for ...
READ MORE
Dubai construction sector will continue to decline
More projects are being completed than started as Expo 2020 deadline looms Dubai’s construction sector is in delivery mode. With just over one year to go until the opening of Expo ...
READ MORE
New work declines worry GCC contractors
The value of contract awards in the first nine months of 2020 has declined Tendering activity remains muted in the GCC's construction sector as clients adopt conservative spending strategies for the ...
READ MORE
Sheikh Mohammed says UAE needs to adjust pace
Lower oil prices forecast for 2020
Celebrating excellence in GCC projects at MEED Projects
Building Future Cities – MEED Mashreq Construction Partnership
EXCLUSIVE: Abu Dhabi to tender two bridges
Italian firm to design Saudi mosque
CONSTRUCTION CLUB 1: The inaugural Mashreq Construction Club
Abu Dhabi signs financing deal for Etihad Rail
Dubai construction sector will continue to decline
New work declines worry GCC contractors
02 November, 2017 | .By Andrew Roscoe