ACWA Power was selected as the ‘Preferred Bidder’ for the construction and operation of the 180 Million Imperial Gallon per Day (MIGD) Sea Water Reverse Osmosis Hassyan Phase 1 Independent Water Producer (IWP) project in Dubai.
The Saudi company will inject investment at a value of AED 3.357 billion ($914 million) for the project.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), the owners of the project, underlined that it had achieved a world record by receiving the lowest bid of 0.36536 USD/m³ of desalinated water.
This project is the largest of its kind in the world for water production based on Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) technology using solar energy.
It marks DEWA’s first Independent Water Producer (IWP) model project.
“We are building water production plants based on seawater reverse osmosis technology which require less energy than multi-stage flash distillation plants, making it a more sustainable choice for water desalination,” Saeed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of DEWA, commented.
Al Tayer noted: “By 2030, DEWA aims to produce 100% of desalinated water by a mix of clean energy and waste heat.”
Meanwhile, the water desalination capacity in Dubai is currently 490 MIGD and it is expected to increase to 670 MIGD in 2026 once the project is completed.
