Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has signed a partnership agreement with Dutch startup Desolenator BV to build a sustainable, carbon-neutral water purification and desalination system in the emirate based on solar thermal energy.

The innovative design is intended to be 100 per cent reliant on solar energy at a target levelised cost of potable water production of less than $0.02 per litre.

As per the agreement, a pilot water desalination plant has been installed at the Jebel Ali Power Plant and Desalination Complex, with a production capacity of  at least 1,000 litres of potable water per day.

Announcing the Dutch tie-up, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dewa, said the move is aligned with the authority’s continuous efforts to find pioneering, sustainable and innovative solutions for water desalination.  Such efforts include establishing partnerships with startups utilising research and development to provide potable water using  such solutions, he added.

According to Al Tayer, Dewa provides technical expertise to assess and analyse new research and development opportunities.

“The partnership with Desolenator also supports its efforts to achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100 per cent of Dubai’s total production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050,” he stated.

Desolenator CEO William Janssen said: “We are delighted to have built a fruitful relationship with Dewa, which has been a fantastic partner in supporting the deployment of this plant. To address the global water and climate crisis, we need new collaboration between innovators and organisations.”

“Dewa stands as a great example for the world. Desolenator strives to create partnerships that support futuristic thinking,” he added.