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Firm wins Al-Nouf IWP technical advisory role

27 January 2025

 

Abu Dhabi-based offtaker Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) is understood to have awarded the technical advisory contract for its next independent water project (IWP) in Al-Nouf.

According to sources familiar with the project, the planned Al-Nouf seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) IWP will have a design capacity of up to 170 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD), or approximately 772,835 cubic metres a day (cm/d).

Austria-headquartered ILF Consulting Engineers has won the contract, industry sources tell MEED.

MEED understands that the legal and financial advisory packages for the Al-Nouf IWP will be tendered and awarded separately.  

Al-Nouf will be Abu Dhabi's second-largest IWP after the 909,218-cm/d Taweelah SWRO plant, which reached full commercial operations in April 2023. It will be the UAE's third-largest, slightly behind Dubai's 818,280-cm/d Hassyan 1 SWRO project, which is under construction.   

A facility in Al-Nouf will require a long pipeline that will connect the plant to Abu Dhabi, and will likely involve the participation of Abu Dhabi Transmission & Despatch Company (Transco), sources told MEED last year.

This latest development follows a revision of the scope and capacity of Abu Dhabi's fourth IWP scheme. The Saadiyat Island IWP will have a capacity of 60MIGD.

When it was tendered in July 2023, the original scheme – called the Abu Dhabi Islands IWP – comprised two SWRO plants, each with a capacity of 50MIGD, to be located on the Saadiyat and Hudayriat islands in Abu Dhabi.

Ewec previously said these projects are important to Abu Dhabi’s water security due to their proximity to the load centre of the Abu Dhabi islands, and because of the scheduled decommissioning in 2028 of the integrated power and water desalination plant at Sas Nakhl.

As in previously tendered IWPs, the successful developer or consortium will own up to 40% of a special-purpose vehicle that will implement these projects, while the remaining equity will be primarily held indirectly by the Abu Dhabi government.

Awarded IWP contracts 

Ewec and Spain's Acciona, the lowest bidder for the Saadiyat Island IWP that was tendered last year, have yet to sign a water purchase agreement.

In comparison, Ewec awarded the contracts for two IWPs in 2023. Ewec, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) and France’s Engie signed the water purchase agreement for the Mirfa 2 IWP project in February 2023. They reached financial close for the project, which will have a capacity of 120MIGD, two months later.

Taqa, Ewec and South Korea’s GS Inima reached financial close on the $444m Shuweihat 4 SWRO IWP in December of the same year. Located within the Shuweihat power and water complex, the facility will supply up to 70MIGD of potable water. Commercial operations are expected to commence in the second quarter of 2026.

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Jennifer Aguinaldo

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