Spanish infrastructure major Acciona says it has completed a major milestone in the construction of Dubai’s Jebel Ali Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant, which is now producing at 100 per cent of capacity. 

The desalination plant, built by Acciona and Besix and owned by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), has begun its daily production of 182 million litres of potable water, and is already supplying the city’s water network.

With the launch of the plant’s operations, it has become one of the largest reverse osmosis desalination plants in the UAE. Acciona says its scope of work included the design and construction of the facility.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dewa, says the new Jebel Ali SWRO facility is in line with the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 of providing 75 per cent of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.

Acciona’s Project Director Francisco Javier Nieto said: “This milestone is the result of good teamwork between the client, our engineers and the construction teams in adverse conditions resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This achievement reflects the shared commitment of Dewa, engineering firm ILF, and the construction consortium formed by Acciona and Besix, to deliver the Jebel Ali desalination plant to the highest technical standards of excellence.”

“The health and safety of workers at the site has also been of paramount importance during the pandemic. Construction of the desalination plant recently surpassed 6.5 million man-hours without lost-time injuries,” he added.