Emirates Water and Electricity Company (Ewec) today (September 19) has invited epressions of interest (EOIs) from leading developer/ developer consortiums for the Abu Dhabi Islands Reverse Osmosis (RO) Independent Water Project (IWP).

 

The project consists of two standalone greenfield RO seawater desalination plants to be located on Saadiyat Island and Hudayriat Island. Both plants will desalinate seawater using low-carbon intensive RO technologies to provide a combined total of 100 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD), equivalent to 455,000 cu m/day, said a statement from Ewec. 

 

Together, the plants under the Abu Dhabi Islands RO IWP project will meet the water demand for up to 180,000 households in the emirate, it added.

 

According to Ewec, the project involves the development, financing, construction, operation, maintenance, and ownership of the two standalone greenfield RO seawater desalination plants. 

 

The successful developer/developer consortium will own up to 40% of a special purpose vehicle (SPV), while the remaining equity will be primarily held indirectly by the Abu Dhabi government. 

 

The SPV will then enter into a long-term water purchase agreement with Ewec, the single buyer of power and water capacity and output in Abu Dhabi.

 

CEO Othman Al Ali said: "RO is a vital low-carbon intensive seawater desalination technology that enables Ewec to strategically change its water and power generation portfolio, and ultimately contribute to the decarbonisation of the energy sector."

 

"This is the fourth RO project initiated by us in the last four years, and once commercially operational will become the seventh and eighth RO plants in Ewec’s portfolio. We are proud to be leading the energy sector in making rapid and tangible changes to the water and energy production portfolio with a focus on sustainability, in support of UAE Energy Strategy 2050 and the UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative," he stated.

 

"We look forward to receiving EoIs from developers and developer consortiums to partner with us in our contributions to achieve Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s sustainability goals," he added.

 

Ewec said the deadline for submitting the EoIs has been set at September 30. Following review of the EoIs, it will issue the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to proceed to the next stage, it added.