Dubai gets Guinness World Record for largest single-site water desalination facility

Dubai: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has marked another breakthrough by achieving the Guinness World Records title for the second time for owning and managing the Largest Single-Site Water Desalination Facility in the World with production capacity of 490 million Imperial Gallons of water per Day, which is equivalent to 2,227,587 Cubic Metres per Day. This is the second world record for Jebel Ali Power Generation and Water Production Complex. In 2021, the Complex was confirmed by Guinness World Records as the Largest Single-site Natural Gas Power Generation Facility in the World. The Complex has a power generation capacity of 9,547MW.

“In line with the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, we are working to provide state-of-art and integrated infrastructure for electricity and water to provide our services according to the highest standards of availability, reliability, efficiency, and quality,” said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

“We also work to achieve the various ambitious development plans to keep pace with the growing demand for electricity and water services and Dubai’s ambitious urban and economic plans. We carry on the journey of excellence in all fields and at all levels and move steadily towards preparing for the next fifty years and building a sustainable future. This supports the UAE Centennial 2071 objectives to make the UAE the world’s leading nation by its centennial in 2071,” he added.

Al Tayer received the certificate from representatives of the Guinness World Records during the 24th Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) and Dubai Solar Show 2022, which was organised by DEWA.

Clean solar energy

Al Tayer explained that DEWA adopts three pillars to sustain water production by using clean solar energy to desalinate seawater using reverse osmosis technology, which consumes less energy than MSF plants and Aquifier Storage and Recovery (ASR) project.

Through this, excess desalinated water production is stored in underground basins, retrieved and pumped back into the water network as needed. This innovative holistic model preserves the environment and represents a sustainable economic solution.

Largest reservoir

It also underlines Dubai’s ability to anticipate and shape the future. When completed by 2025, this project will allow 6,000 million imperial gallons of water to be stored and retrieved when needed, making it the largest emergency potable water storage in the world.

This technology will provide a strategic reserve that will supply the Emirate with more than 50 million imperial gallons of water per day for 90 days in emergencies, while ensuring the safety of the stored water.

Nasser Lootah, Executive Vice President of Generation Division in DEWA, said the entry into Guinness Books of World Records celebrates DEWA’s acheivements during past decades in progressively building the largest desalination facility and also recognises the technical capability and tremendous efforts of our team that manages such large industrial complex.

Production capacity

DEWA currently has 43 Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) water desalination units with a total production capacity of 427 MIGD of water at the D-, E-, G-, K-, L, and M Stations.

It also has two SWRO plants with a production capacity of 63 MIGD. DEWA’s total production capacity of desalinated water is 490 MIGD at the Jebel Ali Power Plant and Desalination Complex.

“We are proud of this new global recognition, which is added to DEWA’s record of prestigious global achievements. We invest in the latest technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We adopt pioneering excellence, creativity and innovation in our daily operations to consolidate DEWA’s position as one of the best utilities in all areas worldwide, and embark on more advanced phases of excellence and leadership,” said Waleed Bin Salman, executive vice president of Business Development and Excellence at DEWA.

DEWA aims to increase its SWRO production capacity to 303 MIGD by 2030; reaching 42 per cent instead of its current share of 13 per cent. The desalinated water production capacity will reach 730 MIGD in 2030. SWRO desalination plants require less energy than MSF plants. One of DEWA’s latest projects using this technology is at the Jebel Ali K-Station, which has a production capacity of 40 MIGD and investments worth Dh897 million.