Two mega desalination plants worth Dh4.75B will be established in the UAE, poised to make the nation a regional leader in this industry.

abu dhabi — Two mega desalination plants worth Dh4.75 billion will be established in the UAE over the next three years, making the country one of the leaders in the region in establishing desalination plants, according to a report issued by BNC.

The plants include the Dh2 billion Taweelah plant in Abu Dhabi, slated to produce 200 million gallons of water per day using reverse osmosis technology and is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2022, and one at Jebel Ali in Dubai, scheduled to be completed by the second quarter of 2020.

The total value of investment in the top 10 water desalination plants being developed in the Mena region amounts to Dh19.3 billion, the report said, adding that Saudi Arabia’s share amounts to Dh5.6 billion, while it is Dh4 billion for Jordan, Dh1.84 billion for Oman, Dh1.83 billion Egypt and Dh1.3 billion for Morocco.

Abu Dhabi authorities said last year that construction on the desalination project in Al Taweelah area — located approximately 45km north of Abu Dhabi — begins this year and that the plant was aimed at boosting water supply, serving Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates. Officials said the Taweelah project will be in two blocks, each producing 100 million imperial gallons per day.

Eng Rashid Al Lim, chairman of the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority, highlighted the importance of the event hosted in Abu Dhabi, which comes at a time when there is a need for sustainable water sources to keep pace with expansion witnessed by the countries of the region and the UAE in particular, and the urgent desire to find innovative, economical and environmentally friendly means of water desalination.

“GCC countries have the highest global water desalination capacity of 81 per cent while running production of around 40 per cent of total world water desalination. This explains, on one hand, the development of 289 desalination plants on the shores of the Arabian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea,” he added.

The first edition of Mena Desalination Projects conference will take place in Abu Dhabi next month.