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The Saadiyat Island will host one of the two planned Reverse Osmosis based desalination plants. Image Credit: Supplied

Dubai: Abu Dhabi headquartered utility company EWEC is calling for expressions of interest (EoI) to build a reverse-osmosis based independent water project. The project will require two standalone greenfield RO seawater desalination plants on Saadiyat Island and Hudayriat Island, respectively.

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. Both plants will desalinate seawater using low-carbon intensive RO technologies to provide about 100 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD), equivalent to 455,000 cubic metres a day.

Due date for EoI
Developers or developer consortiums need to submit an Expression of Interest by 12pm, September 30 for the first stage of the tender process. Interested parties are requested to submit their EoI via electronic copy to ewec.adislandsro@ewec.ae


Following review of the EoIs, EWEC will issue the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to proceed to the next stage. The RFQ will provide additional details regarding the project, pre-qualification criteria and the bidding process.
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Reverse Osmosis process is a low carbon intensive seawater desalination process. This is Wahaj will be deployed at the two new water plants in Abu Dhabi. Image Credit: Supplied

“Reverse Osmosis 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,” said Othman Al Ali, CEO of EWEC.

This will be the fourth RO project initiated by EWEC in the last four years, and ‘once commercially operational will become the seventh and eighth RO plants in EWEC’s portfolio

- Othman Al Ali
Two new RO desal plants for Abu Dhabi
The project will involve the development, financing, construction, operation, maintenance, and ownership of two standalone greenfield RO seawater desalination plants. The successful developer or developer consortium will own up to 40 per cent of a special purpose vehicle (SPV), while the remaining equity will be primarily held indirectly by the Abu Dhabi Government.


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