Ewec and Acwa secure Dh3.19 billion for desalination plant

Emirates Water and Electricity Company and Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power secured Dh3.19 billion in funding for a reverse osmosis water desalination plant project in Abu Dhabi.

The funding is a combination of loans totalling Dh2.71bn as well as equity contributions from shareholders and operating cash flow from pre-operations, the companies said yesterday. The new plant will be located in Athe Taweelah power and water desalination complex in the capital and is expected to be completed by 2022.

“Our financial targets have been met and … this new initiative can now get under way,” said Othman Al Ali, chief executive of Ewec.

Efforts to ensure reliable sources of water amid an explosive growth in population and increasing concerns about water scarcity have prompted governments to consider turning seawater into potable drinking water to resolve the problem. Arabian Gulf states, which account for much of the desalination projects worldwide, have been switching to the membrane-based reverse osmosis method of desalination, which is less energy intensive.

Reverse osmosis is a process in which water flows through a membrane that separates out heavier sediments and salts. Desired minerals such as calcium and magnesium are then added to the filtered water before transporting it for consumption. The plant will supply 909,200 cubic metres per day, enough to meet demand from more than 350,000 households. It is set to be 44 per cent larger than the world’s current biggest plant of 624,000 cubic metres per day.

A partnership of Abu Dhabi Power Corporation and Mubadala Investment Company holds a 60 per cent equity interest in the project with the remaining 40 per cent held by Acwa Power.