Dubai and Abu Dhabi to develop water interconnections

Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) and Abu Dhabi Transmission and Despatch Company (Transco), a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa), will establish three water connections to transfer 117 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD) to different areas in Abu Dhabi and Dubai

 

Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) and Abu Dhabi Transmission and Despatch Company (Transco), a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa), will establish three water connections to transfer 117 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD) to different areas in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The scheme is part of a strategic programme to bolster water security across the UAE while increasing the efficiency and sustainability of water supplies across the country.

“Water security is a national security issue for the UAE and is one of the seven strategic sectors of the National Innovation Strategy launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Dubai has a comprehensive approach to ensure the sustainability of water resources in line with the Dubai Integrated Water Resource Management Strategy 2030, which focuses on enhancing water resources, rationalising water consumption, and using cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to reduce water consumption,” said Saeed Mohammed Al-Tayer, CEO & MD of Dewa.

 “Water security is critical to our nation’s health, social and economic stability. In line with the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036, Abu Dhabi continues to expand its water infrastructure, and is leveraging new desalination technologies, brine reduction techniques, and water demand management strategies to improve water security and support a green transition," said Ahmed Mohamed al-Rumaithi, undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy following the announcement of the project.

“We recognise the importance of making water more sustainable and view national collaborations as imperative to ensure UAE water security. The strategic water interconnection projects between Dubai and Abu Dhabi present a significant opportunity to maximise the provision of a sufficient supply of potable water at a national scale while also mitigating climate change risks to water availability, quality, and quantity,” said Al-Rumaithi.

 “In 2021, TRANSCO delivered water through more than 3,500km of water pipelines, ensuring reliability in line with the highest international benchmarks. We also completed 23 projects worth Dh3.3 billion, which included integrating with our network the first potable water from the Taweelah Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant, one of the largest in the world. We are proud of the role we play in meeting customer demand and making the UAE’s energy goals a reality by modernising power and water infrastructure and partnering with key stakeholders,” said Afif al-Yafei, CEO of Transco.

In 2019, Ewec awarded the contract for the 200 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD) Taweelah independent water project (IWP), which will be the world’s largest reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant.

Acwa Power was appointed as the main developer for the project. The developer appointed China’s Sepco 3 and Spain’s Abengoa to carry out the EPC works for the plant.

The AED3.1bn ($844m) Taweelah IWP project reached financial close in September 2019.

The Abu Dhabi government holds a 60 per cent stake in the Taweelah project.