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UAE ramps up decarbonisation of water sector

10 October 2023

This package on the UAE's water sector also includes: 

> Dewa signs Hassyan water project agreements
> Petrojet joins Project Wave contractor team
> Project Wave first phase reaches financial close
> Alpha Dhabi acquires majority stake in Metito
> Hatta reservoir nears completion
> Sharjah moves Hamriyah bid deadline

 

As a water-scarce country, the UAE has relied on non-conventional water, particularly seawater treated in desalination plants, to meet rising demand.

Over the past decade, the energy-intensive water treatment process, especially when using older technologies, has been a key focus for policymakers tasked with aligning industries with the country’s energy diversification and, more recently, net-zero carbon dioxide emissions agendas.

Decarbonising the water supply has entailed decoupling power and water production and improving the level of treated sewage effluent (TSE) reuse. Other initiatives involve modernising the water pipeline transmission network and tapping renewable energy to power desalination plants.

Demand management initiatives such as tariff reforms and awareness campaigns to make end users conscious of their consumption have also been put in place.

The past few months have marked several milestones in the country’s plan to decarbonise its water sector.

Two private water desalination plants that use reverse osmosis technology to treat seawater are in the final commissioning stage, expanding the UAE’s water production capacity from more energy-efficient plants.

These are the 200 million-imperial-gallon-a-day (MIGD) seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant in Taweela in Abu Dhabi and another plant in Umm al-Quwain, which has a capacity of 150MIGD.

Abu Dhabi’s second major SWRO project, the 120MIGD Mirfa 2 independent water producer (IWP), also reached financial close this year.

Crucially, Abu Dhabi dismantled the thermal-powered Taweelah A2 independent water and power producer (IWPP) plant last year, following the expiry of its long-term offtake contract. The plant’s desalination unit ran on the older multi-stage flash technology.

Hassyan 1 

Dubai achieved an important milestone in October when state utility Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) and Saudi-headquartered Acwa Power signed a 30-year water-purchase agreement (WPA) and shareholder agreement for the Hassyan 1 IWP project.

Acwa Power will develop and operate the power plant for 30 years at a levelised water cost of 36.5 $cents a cubic metre, a record low, although not nearly as low as the tariff proposed by another developer when the contract was first tendered.

The project supports Dewa’s plan to increase its water desalination capacity from 490MIGD to 750MIGD by the end of the decade.

Dewa has said the Hassyan 1 IWP will be powered by solar energy, further reducing the plant’s carbon footprint.

In Abu Dhabi, the official signing of a WPA for the Shuweihat S4 SWRO project is imminent, which will add another 70MIGD  to the emirate’s installed water production capacity once complete.

The Shuweihat 4 plant will cater to potable water demand in Abu Dhabi’s Al-Dhafra region, a key focus of Abu Dhabi’s economic development plan.

The bidding process is also under way for two more SWRO plants in Abu Dhabi. The Hudayriat and Saadiyat RO plants, each with a capacity of 50MIGD, will be developed as one IWP contract.

Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) has not mandated the inclusion of a solar photovoltaic (PV) plant for its most recent IWP projects, as it did for the Taweelah RO plant in 2019. However, it will likely tap either solar or nuclear energy, or both, for its upcoming SWRO plants in line with its goal to halve its total carbon dioxide emissions to 22 million tonnes a year by 2035.

The northern Sharjah emirate is also procuring its first IWP. The planned Hamriyah SWRO plant will have a capacity of 90MIGD.

In addition to the utility clients, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has awarded the contract to develop the first phase of Project Wave, which aims to replace the aquifer water injection systems used to maintain reservoir pressure in Abu Dhabi's onshore oil fields.

The project is expected to reduce the water injection-related energy consumption of the oil fields by up to 30 per cent.

Wastewater

Dubai Municipality activated a major programme this year to develop deep tunnels and sewage treatment plants across the emirate. This long-term project could require an investment of up to AED80bn ($22bn).

Known as the Deep Tunnels Portfolio, the scheme will be developed as a public-private partnership (PPP) initiative and will expand the role of private companies in the emirate’s water infrastructure sector.  

It involves the construction of two sets of deep tunnels terminating at two terminal pump stations located at sewerage treatment plants (STPs) in Warsan and Jebel Ali. A conventional sewage and drainage collection system and STPs will be built in Hatta. The scheme also includes recycled water distribution systems connected to the STPs.

Approved by Dubai’s Executive Council in June, the project has been designed to serve the needs of the Dubai population for the next 100 years in alignment with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and Dubai Urban Plan 2040.

In the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi Sustainable Water Solutions, formerly Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company, received bids for the contract to design, build and operate a planned TSE polishing plant in Al-Wathba earlier this year.

The plant is expected to have a design capacity of 700,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d), with the potential to expand this to 950,000 cm/d in a subsequent phase. The TSE facility will produce water for higher-end applications compared with TSE produced in a standard sewage treatment plant.

In addition to supporting the UAE’s long-term economic and demographic expansion, these water treatment projects also boost the country’s preferred circular carbon economy approach to energy transition.

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Jennifer Aguinaldo

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    Waste-to-energy

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    Artawi solar project

    The highly anticipated 1GW solar project in the southern Basra region has also reached the construction stage.

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  • Dubai awards $272m Al-Maktoum airport runway deal

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    Project history

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    Germany’s Siemens Energy and Iraq’s Electricity Ministry have signed a preliminary agreement to add 14GW of electricity generation capacity to Iraq’s grid.

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  • Abu Dhabi hopes bigger is better with Disney theme park

    8 May 2025

    Commentary
    Colin Foreman
    Editor

    Ever since Aldar Properties first launched the Yas Island project with its Yas Marina Circuit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2006, Abu Dhabi has been steadily adding theme parks to the island’s roster of attractions. First, there was the Ferrari theme park, then came a water park, a Warner Bros theme park and, most recently, SeaWorld. 

    The theory with theme park development is bigger is better. 

    A destination needs a series of parks to create a critical mass to attract visitors who can stay and enjoy multiple parks in one visit. The example always cited is Florida, which is home to many of the world’s largest theme parks, including Disney World. 

    The theory gained particular traction in the region when Dubai Parks and Resorts opened. The company, which was public until it was acquired by Meraas in 2021, reported significant losses as it struggled to attract enough visitors.

    Although it opened with Legoland, Legoland Waterpark, Motiongate and Bollywood theme parks, insiders said that the problem with the development was that it did not have enough attractions to turn it into a successful theme park destination. 

    The financial performance of theme parks on Yas Island has not been publicly disclosed. While it is accepted that they have been more successful than their counterparts in Dubai, some say that the island still does not have the critical mass required to establish itself as a global destination for theme park visitors.


    Miral has developed a series of theme parks and other entertainment-related attractions on Yas Island 

    Enter Disney

    Disney changes that. It is the largest brand in the theme park space and will be a major attraction, but with limited information released on the project so far, it is difficult to fully gauge how significant the project will be. 

    The official release said that the project will be developed and operated by Abu Dhabi developer Miral, adding that Disney’s in-house design and engineering unit, Walt Disney Imagineering, will lead creative design and operational oversight to provide a world-class experience. It did not give any details on the ownership of the project. 

    In Hong Kong, for example, a company, Hong Kong International Theme Parks, was established as a joint venture, with the Government of Hong Kong holding 57% and The Walt Disney Company holding 43%. 

    In Japan, the structure is different. The Tokyo Disney Resort is owned and operated by Oriental Land, and the company pays licences and royalties to The Walt Disney Company.

    In interviews following the launch announcement, Miral CEO Mohamed Abdalla Al-Zaabi confirmed the arrangement will be like Tokyo. 

    Waterfront location

    The official release for the Abu Dhabi launch also said that the project is on Yas Island, which only has limited areas of land to develop. The release also said that the land is waterfront, and imagery in the launch video shows the Abu Dhabi skyline in the background, suggesting the land is on the northern waterfront of Yas Island. 

    There is a substantial tract of undeveloped land on the north shore of the island, which measures about 2 square kilometres (sq km). This is larger than the site that Hong Kong Disneyland occupies, and much smaller than Disney World in Florida, which spans an area of 111 sq km – nearly five times the size of the whole of Yas Island and nearly double the size of Abu Dhabi Island.

    The hope is that Yas Island will become a leading global theme park destination and attract large numbers of visitors wanting a holiday with multiple theme park visits

    Exclusivity clause

    Another area of interest will be whether Abu Dhabi has an exclusivity agreement with Disney for the region. No exclusivity was mentioned at the launch, but in Hong Kong, the issue became contentious when Disney announced plans to build a park shortly after Disneyland Hong Kong opened. Local politicians criticised the Hong Kong government for not including an exclusivity clause in its deal with Disney. 

    Tourism gateway

    Like Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi is a smaller economy sitting next to a larger regional player. With Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 strategy and its existing roster of theme park developments at Qiddiya, which includes a Six Flags, a water park and a Dragon Ball Z theme park, developers in Riyadh would likely be keen to have a Disney theme park, too. 

    For now, with Disney on board in Abu Dhabi, the hope is that Yas Island will become a leading global theme park destination and attract large numbers of visitors wanting a holiday with multiple theme park visits.

    The potential is certainly there. During the project launch, Disney highlighted that the UAE is located within a four-hour flight of one-third of the world’s population, making it a significant gateway for tourism. It is also home to the largest global airline hub in the world, with 120 million passengers travelling through Abu Dhabi and Dubai each year.

    If that potential is realised, then the bigger is better theory will be proved right. If the park’s performance disappoints, then it will suggest the region is not such a great destination for theme parks after all. 

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13840555/main.gif
    Colin Foreman
  • Firms bag $850m Qatar substation contracts

    8 May 2025

    Four local and international firms have won contracts for the construction of seven high-voltage substations in Qatar.

    State-backed Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) signed the contracts, which have a total combined value of approximately QR3.1bn ($850m), with the following firms:

    • Elsewedy Cables Qatar Company (local/Egypt)
    • Voltage Engineering (local)
    • Best/Betas Consortium (Turkey)
    • Taihan Cable & Solution (South Korea)

    Kahramaa said the projects aim to “meet electrical network demand in light of the country's fast-growing …urban development”.

    The contracts include the provision and installation of underground cables and overhead lines extending around 212 kilometres to connect these substations.

    Qatari companies won the largest share, equivalent to 58.4% or QR1.8bn, of the total contract value.

    This reflects “our great confidence in the capabilities of the local private sector and its pivotal role in achieving our development vision and achieving Qatar National Vision 2030”, said Kahramaa president Abdulla Bin Ali Al-Theyab.

    Qatar Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, and senior executives from Kahramaa and the contracting firms signed the deals at a ceremony held in Doha.

    Al-Kaabi said the projects will help “ensure our networks' continued and sustainable ability to accommodate the unprecedented growth of the power sector and meet the increasing electricity demand”.

    Kahramaa said the contractors will undertake the construction of electrical substations and the connection of cables and overhead lines, as well as the development of some existing substations to increase their capacity.

    Qatar has been ramping up its power generation capacity in recent years.  

    Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, inaugurated the Ras Laffan and Mesaieed solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants on 28 April.

    The two plants have a combined capacity of 875MW and will more than double Qatar’s solar energy production to 1,675MW.

    In February, Qatar Electricity & Water Company (QEWC) and Kahramaa signed a power-purchase agreement for a 511MW peak electricity generation plant at Ras Abu Fontas, which will have a total cost of approximately QR1.6bn. The peak power plant is scheduled to become operational by January 2027.

    A consortium led by South Korea's Doosan Enerbility, and that includes Beijing-headquartered PowerChina, will undertake the Ras Abu Fontas peak power plant's engineering, procurement and construction contract, with Germany's Siemens Energy supplying the plant's gas turbines.

    Photo credit: Kahramaa

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13838850/main.jpg
    Jennifer Aguinaldo