By ; Nahla Makled

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD &

CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) inspected the progress of the Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) Desalination Plant’s construction at the Jebel Ali Power Plant and Desalination Complex. The plant will have a total production capacity of 40 Million Imperial Gallons per Day (MIGD). Jebel Ali Power Plant and Desalination Complex is one of the main complexes providing Dubai with reliable, efficient, and high-quality electricity and water services.

DEWA awarded an AED 871-million contract for the construction of the SWRO-based desalination plant in Jebel Ali to a joint venture comprising ACCIONA Agua SA and Belhasa Six Construct (BeSIX).

Al Tayer was accompanied by Khalil Sabt, Vice President of Production Planning; Mansoor Al Suwaidi, Vice President of Projects and Engineering; Masoud AlKamali, Senior Manager of Projects; and Mohamed Al Marzooqi, Project Manager, the contractors’ representatives, consultants and other DEWA staff.

Al Tayer was briefed on the project, which is 79% complete and making significant progress, wherein the project main buildings are at finishing stage. Most of the marine works are complete and the commissioning works started, especially after the successful operation of the first main power transformer.

This new SWRO plant and its associated facilities is being developed to include an advanced pre-treatment, double -pass reverse osmosis SWRO technology, post-treatment process and storage facilities that are connected to the water network. The plant is scheduled for operation in Q1 2021 to meet the reserve margin criterion set for peak water demand for 2021 and beyond.

Al Tayer highlighted the importance of committing to the highest standards of safety, health and security and delivering a high-quality project on time.

This project supports DEWA’s decoupling of water production and power generation by using electricity generated from solar power for desalination using SWRO technology. These big solar projects launched by DEWA achieved several times the lowest Levelized Cost of solar power globally and contributed in reducing the global costs of generating electricity from solar power.

DEWA’s initiative of decoupling water production and electricity generation using a mix of clean energy comprising of solar power and waste heat will enable Dubai to exceed global clean water desalination targets for using clean energy to produce desalinated water. By 2030, 100% of desalinated water will be produced by a mix of clean energy that uses both renewable energy and waste heat.