Energy Efficient Desalination 15 - 18 JANUARY 2018 | ADNEC
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15 - 18 JANUARY 2018 | ADNEC
Energy
Efficient
Desalination
Meeting the GCC’s water
needs in an environmentally
sustainable way
internationalwatersummit.com
Table of Contents
Introduction
Introduction 2
Technologies 3
Research and Development 5
Country Plans 6
Bahrain 6
Kuwait 7
Oman 7
Saudi Arabia 9
UAE 12
Abu Dhabi 12
Dubai 12
Sharjah 14
Northern Emirates 14
About the report 15
INTERNATIONAL WATER SUMMIT: ENERGY EFFICIENT DESALINATIONIntroduction
Globally, it is estimated that 90 million m3 of water is desalinated a day, with potable water produced by around 18,500
desalination plants. Saudi Arabia, the United States, the UAE and Kuwait have the globe's highest desalination capacities.
The three GCC countries alone are responsible for more than one-third of the global desalination capacity. Overall, about
58% of the world’s desalination capacity is in the Middle East and North Africa, according to the International Energy
Agency (IEA).
The GCC region is water-stressed, has high levels of urbanisation and its population continues to grow. As populations rise,
so do water demands, both in terms of individual use and by industry and agriculture to meet new levels of demand for
produce and goods. The increase in desalination requirements is also pushing up energy consumption to produce fresh
water, with the knock-on effect of more greenhouse gas emissions and increasing levels of chemicals and brine ejected
back into seawater following desalination processes.
To date the region has been reliant on energy-intensive thermal desalination processes that use fossil fuels as their
feedstock. According to the IEA’s World Energy Outlook report in 2016, half of all global energy consumption for
desalination is in the UAE, at more than 13 million tonnes of oil equivalent. GCC states take the top six spots for individual
country’s energy demand for desalination.
Water desalination in the Middle East has traditionally been coupled with power stations, to supply electricity and
desalinated water. With the drive towards reducing energy consumption, along with plans to increase the amount of power
from standalone renewable and clean energy, there is an increasing need to develop sustainable approaches to
desalination.
GLOBAL CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS DUE TO DESALINATION
250
200
150
100
50
0
2016 2040
Shifting towards alternative energy and sustainable technologies to desalinate water will also contribute to country targets
of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. It is estimated that today, 76 million tonnes of CO2 is emitted annually due to
desalination processes. Abu Dhabi government entity Masdar has forecast that under a business-as-usual scenario, by
2040 desalination will be responsible for 218 million tonnes of CO2 a year due to the need to build and operate more
desalination plants to meet water demands.
internationalwatersummit.com 3
2Introduction
Groups such as the Global Clean Water Desalination Alliance, whose members include Masdar, are investigating and
promoting clean energy sources for desalination. The organisation has a range of stepped targets through to 2036 designed
to increase the amount of clean energy used in future desalination plants, and has committed to spend $100m a year from
2017 on research and development. Those funds will come from members in the form of money or infrastructure and
equipment.
ANNUAL ENERGY TO COME FROM CLEAN SOURCES FOR DESALINATION PLANTS
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Operational from Operational from Operational from Operational from
2020 - 2025 2026 - 2030 2031 - 2035 2036
Source: Global Clean Water Desalination Alliance
Technologies
About 70% of all desalination in the GCC is based on thermal processes, which are well-suited to the high salinity of the
Arabian Gulf, its temperature and levels of organic matter. Thermal desalination – both multi-stage flash (MSF) and
multiple-effect distillation (MED) – are more energy intensive than reverse osmosis (RO), a membrane technology.
Thermal processes require both electrical energy and heat, typically using gas, which is what makes them more energy
intensive. In terms of electrical energy alone, MSF and RO both use about the same amount of electrical energy per cubic
metre of water desalinated. But RO does not require additional energy for heat. MED requires about a quarter of the electrical
energy compared to other processes, but also requires additional energy in the form of heat.
Overall, MSF is the more energy-hungry technology, requiring up to 80kWh of thermal energy for every cubic metre of water
to be desalinated. This is followed by MED, using about 70kWh/m3. When put in terms of equivalent electrical figure energy,
RO is by far the most energy efficient desalination technology in common use today, with a total equivalent electricity that is
about one quarter that of MED and one-fifth of that used by MSF.
3 INTERNATIONAL WATER SUMMIT: ENERGY EFFICIENT DESALINATIONTechnologies
ENERGY REQUIRED FOR DESALINATION, BY TECHNOLOGY
Electrical Energy Thermal Energy Total Equivalent Electrical
(kWh/m3) (kWh/m3) Energy (kWh/m3)
Brackish water RO 1 - 1.5 0 1 - 1.5
Seawater RO 4 - 4.5 0 4 - 4.5
MED 1 60 - 70 16 - 18.5
MSF 5 70 - 80 22.5 - 25
Source: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi
The use of desalination – in particular, thermal - comes with environmental impacts. The energy to generate the heat comes
from fossil fuels (in some cases heavy fuel oil), adding to a country's carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, and common to
other desalination methods, brine and chemicals left over from the process are discharged into the sea. The more efficient a
plant is at extracting potable water from seawater, the lower the level of chemicals (by ratio) are subsequently ejected into the
sea.
Desalination processes have become less energy-intensive as the technologies have improved. It is generally considered that
technologies such as reverse osmosis are reaching the limits of efficiency improvements for reasonable cost, and that future
gains will start to become prohibitively expensive. It means alternative methods need to be coupled with current desalination
technologies, or new technologies need to be used in the desalination process.
This includes methods of pre-treatment, the impact of decentralisation, and newer technologies such as thin-film
nanocomposite membranes (a form of RO), captive deionisation (most suitable for brackish water), forward osmosis, and the
use of renewable energy, such as solar, wind and geothermal.
In late August 2017, Saudi Arabia announced that it was to work with China to research the use of gas-cooled nuclear
reactors for desalination. A controversial technological approach that has been used elsewhere, nuclear does allow for
large-scale desalination using a clean energy source. However, the kingdom does not have any nuclear plants. It has
early-stage development plans for two reactors that would generate 2.8GW in total capacity, but any use of nuclear for
desalination are some years away.
Membrane technologies are more energy-efficient than their thermal counterparts, as well as robust and reliable. Amongst
the newer developments, forward osmosis is considered to be one of the more exciting opportunities, but is still in early stages
of development. It has been tested as part of the desalination pilots that have been run by Masdar in Ghantoot. The technology
was found to reduce the required energy consumption to 3.5-4 US cents per kilowatt hours per cubic metre (kWh/m3) of
water. However, the technology needs to show that it can make the leap from small-scale systems to commercial, large-scale
operations.
An area of focus that is attracting more attention for research and development is that of pre-treatment methods, as these
offer the opportunity for greater gains in efficiency. This includes the use of managed beach wells, rather than the traditional
seawater intakes. These help reduce the energy required to desalinate water and the amount of chemicals used, by providing
natural filtration before the water reaches the desalination plant.
internationalwatersummit.com 3
4Technologies
Renewable energy – in particular solar - is also attracting attention. Several small-scale systems have been successfully
trialled. The downside today with this approach is that unless coupled with some form of battery storage, a facility can only
operate during daylight hours. As battery power becomes cheaper, interest in solar as an energy source for desalination will
rise.
Research and Development
Among the most high-profile and advanced investigations into more efficient desalination were a set of pilot projects run by
Masdar in the Ghantoot area of Abu Dhabi.
The government organisation led five pilot projects that looked at energy-efficient seawater desalination. The first four pilots
were awarded in 2015, with the fifth (to Mascara NT) awarded in late 2016. Each pilot was awarded following a competitive
tender to a different company, which then built a small-scale system to test more efficient desalination methods. Each test
ran continuously for at least 15 months.
The pilot studies set out to reduce the amount of electrical energy required for seawater desalination to below 3.6 kWh/m3
using membrane technology, and therefore also reduce the environmental impact of the process. The pilots also set out to
bring down the price of energy-efficient systems, making them cost-competitive with fossil-fuel desalination systems.
The Sidem Veolia plant began operations in August 2015. It used a two-pass RO system, coupled with dissolved air flotation
and a gravity dual media filter in a single unit for pre-treatment. Early reported results saw energy consumption fall by 7%
compared to the initial target and the pilot was considered scalable.
Suez also used a two-pass RO system, with dissolved air flotation and ultrafiltration for the pre-treatment. An integrated brine
management unit used liquid to liquid ion exchange to increase the recovery ratio. As with the Veolia pilot, the dissolved air
flotation improved pre-treatment performance. The pilot was considered scalable, but it was said that more research was
needed into the liquid ion exchange for it to suit larger operations.
DESALINATION PILOT PROJECTS
Organisation Technology Capacity (m3/day) Pilot completion
Reverse Osmosis and
Abengoa 1,000 Q1 2016
Membrane Distillation
Sidem / Veolia Reverse Osmosis 300 Q2 2017
Reverse Osmosis and
Suez 100 Q1 2017
Ion Exchange
Trevi Systems Forward Osmosis 50 Q1 2016
Reverse Osmosis
Mascara NT 30 Q1 2018
powered by off-grid solar
Source: Masdar
5 INTERNATIONAL WATER SUMMIT: ENERGY EFFICIENT DESALINATIONResearch and
Market
Development
barriers
Abengoa's pilot used an integrated system where the brine left over from the first RO pass was treated by a membrane
distillation system. It was found that this combination could increase the recovery ratio and reduce energy consumption.
The Trevi Systems pilot used forward osmosis membrane technology, a technology still in its early stages of development. Over
the life of the pilot, performance improved and more advances with the technology are expected.
The Mascara NT pilot is due to be completed by the end of 2017. It is a solar photovoltaic powered reverse osmosis system
with pre-treatment coming from a beach well. The system is fully automated and not coupled with batteries, so operates only
during hours of sunlight.
It has achieved one of the lowest energy consumption rates globally for water desalination, using 2.5 kWh/m3 of seawater,
excluding the energy required for the high-pressure pumps and pre-treatment. The system is adapted to work for small
communities, such as those in remote locations.
The Arabian Gulf is a challenging seawater to desalinate due to its high salinity and organic content and it was found during
tests that some technologies coped better than others with these conditions during the pre-treatment stage. It was found that
the use of dissolved air floatation coped well with organic matter during pre-treatment.
In Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust) has focused its research on improving the energy
efficiency of the MED thermal desalination technology. It has concentrated efforts on improving the number of passes possible
for water vapour to increase final water production and on reducing the heat required during this process. To do this it has
looked at how to overcome limitations in the thermodynamics of traditional thermal facilities.
The institute says it has increased the number of times water can be recirculated in the evaporation stages from about eight
times to about 20, and this produces twice as much potable water as in conventional processes. It has also decreased the
required temperature for the process. The institute has achieved this by coupling nano-filtration pre-treatment techniques and
solar-powered adsorption cycles with a MED plant.
By producing more water from each desalination cycle, it also effectively reduces the amount chemicals that are ejected into
the sea with the waste brine. The system is being tested on a larger scale with a 3,000 m3/day desalination plant in Yanbu,
which uses waste heat for the production.
Kaust says its process reduces the production cost of water to about $0.5 per cubic metre.
Country Plans
BAHRAIN
The smallest desalination market in the GCC, approximately 54% of its water comes from groundwater. The country has water
demand of about 700,000 m3/day, excluding the water produced by the 41,000 m3/day MED desalination plant at the
Aluminium Bahrain facility.
Almost two-thirds of Bahrain's desalination capacity is based on thermal technologies, with a fairly even split between MED and
MSF. However, its most recently built plant, Al-Dur, is based on RO.
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6Country Plans
Bahrain is planning to build a second Al-Dur power BAHRAIN'S WATER DESALINATION TECHNOLOGIES
and water plant, which will increase desalination
capacity by 227,304 m3/day. The Al-Dur 2
independent water and power production (IWPP)
plant is at the tender stage, with the power plant due
for operation from June 2020 and the desalination a 37% 63%
year later. KPMG is the financial advisor for the RO Thermal
project.
PLANNED DESALINATION FACILITIES IN BAHRAIN
Al-Dur Other facilities include Ras Abu Jarjur, which was the Middle
East and North Africa's largest capacity reverse osmosis plant
2 IWPP Capacity: 227,304 m3 / day
Completion: 2021
when it was commissioned in 1984. It also has Al Hidd IWPP,
which includes the region's largest capacity MED facility, which
produces enough water for about 750,000 people.
KUWAIT
Kuwait expects its water demand to increase by about 6% a year to 2030 due mainly to the new cities that are being developed.
The Ministry of Electricity and Water has estimated that an additional 2,045,741 m3/day or 450 MIGD will be needed in the
country by 2030, with domestic use accounting for about 200 MIGD of that figure.
The country's Public Private Partnership projects are procured through Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (KAPP). It is
understood that some of its planned water projects are delayed. Kuwait is also planning to tender an emergency RO mobile
units programme. This will comprise 30 mobile units, each with a 100,000 gallon capacity.
PLANNED DESALINATION PLANTS
Facility Capacity (MIGD) Expected tender release
Kuwait plans to build eight facilities capable of
Doha RO Phase 1 60 Awarded June 2016 desalinating seawater by 2025 to meet its water
Al Zour IWPP North Phase 2 107 Under evaluation needs. The most recent contract award was in June
2016, going to Doosan Heavy Industries for phase
Al-Kheran IWPP Phase 1 125 2018 one of the Doha reverse osmosis desalination plant.
Al Zour North IWPP Phases 3 & 4 75 2019
Al Nwaiseeb Phase 1 75 2020
Once complete, the facility will produce 272,765
m3/day, enough water for 900,000 people. There are
New Shuaiba South 50 2021/2 plans for at least one more desalination plant to use
New Doha East 100 2022/3 RO technology.
Doha RO Phase 2 60 2024/5
Source: MEW
OMAN
Oman plans to develop a number of seawater desalination facilities to meet growing water demand in the Sultanate. The
country is split into five water zones, and the total average annual water demand across Oman is expected to grow by about
6% a year to 2023. Some parts of Oman face the prospect of their desalination capacity not meeting consumption needs,
adding to the urgency of progressing with its planned projects.
7 INTERNATIONAL WATER SUMMIT: ENERGY EFFICIENT DESALINATIONCountry Plans
Oman is heavily reliant on small-scale reverse osmosis plants to produce potable water, in combination with its larger IWPP
and independent water production (IWP) facilities.
The country has installed less thermal desalination than its GCC neighbours, with just three large-scale MSF plants
operational (excluding plants for industrial facilities). Of those plants, MSF technology is being phased out in two of them.
Barka 1 IWPP, which uses a combination of MSF and RO, will cease using its MSF units from 2018.
To meet demand, Oman has approximately 1.9 million m3/day of new capacity under construction, planned, or under study,
with the emphasis on RO technology under its Seven-Year Plan, issued by the Oman Power and Water Procurement
Company in May 2017. There is also about 100,000 m3/day of mobile desalination capacity planned.
According to press reports, an award for its 90,000 m3/day Sharqiyah IWP is expected to be made in October 2017, giving
the winning developer two years to complete the facility. An award for Salalah 3 IWP, which will have a capacity of 100,000
m3/day, is also expected before the end of 2017.
Additionally, the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW), which is responsible for smaller desalination plants in
Oman, has issued three tenders since August 2017. Each is for a facility of up to 10,000 m3/day.
In terms of water security, Oman will develop enough desalination capacity to meet peak demand, with an additional 14.3%
margin on top to account for any unexpected, temporary supply failure.
PLANNED DESALINATION FACILITIES
Facility Capacity (m3/day) Technology Commissioned Overview
Aseelah Temporary Supply 10,000 RO 2017 WPA until 2021, with a two-year extension option
Qurayyat IWP 200,000 RO 2017 Expected to begin operations in Q4 2017
As Suwayq 227,304 - 2018
Barka 4 IWP 281,000 RO 2018 Expected to begin operations in Q2 2018
Sohar 3 IWP 250,035 RO 2018 Expected to begin operations in Q3 2018
Duqm RAECO expansion 4,000 RO 2018 Expected to be added in 2018
Sharqiyah IWP 90,922 RO 2019 Award expected to be made in October 2017
The project is on-hold as an alternative
Duqm IWP 60,000 RO 2019; On hold
supply scheme is being considered
Aseelah IWP 80,000 - 2020 To be awarded in 2017
Salalah 3 IWP 100,000 - 2020 Under tender; award expected in Q4 2017
It will be Musandam's largest capacity desalination
Khasab IWP 15,911 RO 2021
facility. Six groups listed as pre-qualified to bid
The request for proposals is
Ghubrah 3 IWP 300,000 - 2022
expected to be issued in Q4 2017
The request for proposals is
North Batinah IWP 200,000 - 2022
expected to be issued in Q4 2017
Salalah 4 IWP 100,000 - 2022 Under study
RO = Reverse Osmosis, WPA = Water Purchase Agreement; Sources: Oman Power and Water Purchase Company, Rural Areas Electricity Company
internationalwatersummit.com 3
8Country Plans
SAUDI ARABIA
WATER CONSUMPTION
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Source: General Authority for Statistics, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has the world's biggest desalination capacity, accounting for about one-fifth of the global desalination capacity.
Water production from its desalination plants are split between its Red Sea and Arabian Gulf coasts.
Total water consumption has been rising steadily across the kingdom. Between 2012 and 2016, consumption increased by
58% across the country, to 3,129 million m3/day.
SAUDI ARABIA WATER PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES
5% 68% 27%
Multi-effect Multi-stage Reverse
Distillation Flash Osmosis
Source: Electricity and Cogeneration Regulatory Authority
Domestic water consumption is forecast to continue to rise by about 53% by 2030 on 2016 figures, highlighting the urgency
for Saudi Arabia to expand its desalination capacity.
Approximately 61% of its water is desalinated, with the rest supplied by ground water. In terms of water demand, about 84%
is used by agriculture, 12% by municipalities and 4% by industry.
MSF is by far the biggest desalination technology in use in Saudi Arabia, followed by RO. It is likely that future desalination
plants will adopt more energy-efficient technology, as the kingdom looks to reduce the amount of fossil fuel used in its water
production. This will result in more RO plants being built. It is understood that the government is pushing for future
developments to be RO facilities rather than thermal desalination.
9 INTERNATIONAL WATER SUMMIT: ENERGY EFFICIENT DESALINATIONCountry Plans
SELECTED PLANNED DESALINATION PLANTS
Facility Owner Capacity (m3/day) Technology Overview
MED or MSF
Al Jubail, Phase 3 SWCC 1,500,000 Main contract to be tendered
and RO (30%)
The main contract is to be tendered;
Al Shaqaiq Phase 3 SWCC 380,000 -
expected completion is in 2022
Awarded to Hyflux in February 2017.
Al Wajh Phase 4 SWCC 16,000 Reverse Osmosis
Completion is slated in 2019
Awarded to Hyflux in February 2017.
Duba Phase 4 SWCC 16,000 Reverse Osmosis
Expected completion in 2020
Awarded to Hyflux in February 2017.
Haql Phase 3 SWCC 16,000 Reverse Osmosis
Expected completion in 2021
Main contract awarded to Doosan Heavy
Jeddah Phase 4 SWCC 400,000 Reverse Osmosis
Industries and Construction in April 20
Jubail Phase 3 SWCC 1,500,000 - Main contract to be tendered
EoI released in August 2017 and expected
completion is 2021. It will be built as a
design-build-operate facility with the winning
Water and organisation also responsible for O&M and
Rabigh Phase 3 Electricity 600,000 Reverse Osmosis financing. It will be developed under a 25-year
Company water purchase agreement. Desalination capacity
may be later expanded to 1.2 million m3/day.
The technical adviser is Fichtner and
the financial adviser is Banque Saudi Fransi
Expected completion in 2020.
Umlujj Phase 3 SWCC 7,740 MED On completion, total capacity for the facility
across all phases will be 18,000 m3/day
Sepco III Electric Power Construction (China)
signed a contract with SWCC in May 2017 to
complete construction of the plant, according
to Reuters. First water is expected to be
Yanbu Phase 3 SWCC 550,000 MSF
produced in 2018, with the desalination
units completed in 2019. Initially, Samsung
Engineering was awarded the main contract,
but this was cancelled.
Expected completion in 2022.
Yanbu Phase 4 SWCC 450,000 -
The main contract is to be tendered
Sources: SWCC; WEC; Reuters
internationalwatersummit.com 3
10Country Plans
Several RO plants have been recently awarded or announced. The most recent large-scale plan was announced by Saudi
Arabia's Water and Electricity Company (WEC), which invited Expressions of Interest (EoI) in August 2017 for Rabigh 3, a
600,000 m3/day RO plant near Jeddah. It is slated to begin operations in 2021.
In April, the Saline Water Conversion Company (SWCC) awarded the contract to build what will be (briefly) Saudi Arabia's
biggest RO plant on completion. Jeddah 4, on the Red Sea coast, was awarded to South Korea's Doosan Heavy Industries
and once operational it will produce 400,000 m3/day.
In February 2017, Hyflux said it was to build three small-scale RO plants in the kingdom, also along the Red Sea coast, each
with a capacity of 16,000 m3/day.
DESALINATION PRODUCTION IN SAUDI ARABIA, BY COMPANY
60% 14% 13% 13%
Shuaibah Water Jubail Water
SWCC Others
and Electricity Company and Power Company
Source: Electricity and Cogeneration Regulatory Authority
SWCC is the kingdom's biggest water production company (and second biggest power producer), with 29 desalination
plants, plus more planned. The bulk of its desalination plants use MSF technology.
It has seen water production increase most years since the 1980s, apart from a few years of decline about a decade ago.
According to SWCC figures, the organisation has an installed capacity of about 3.89 million m3/day. SWCC is now planning
to privatise many of its facilities.
SWCC WATER PRODUCTION
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
80
82
84
86
88
90
92
94
96
98
00
02
04
06
08
10
12
14
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
Sources: SWCC
11 INTERNATIONAL WATER SUMMIT: ENERGY EFFICIENT DESALINATIONCountry Plans
UAE
Of the total amount of energy used for desalination globally, the UAE was responsible for half. This is because much of the
UAE’s desalination capacity is based on thermal technologies, and due to its reliance on the highly saline Arabian Gulf as its
water source. More saline water requires more energy to separate the water and the salt.
ABU DHABI
Abu Dhabi is reliant on thermal desalination for its ABU DHABI WATER PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES
production of potable water. In 2016, the technology
accounted for about 89% of the drinking gross water
production in Abu Dhabi. The total installed 72% 17% 11%
production capacity was about 4,127,850 m3/day MSF MED RO
(908 MIGD).
About 40% of the water used in Abu Dhabi has been desalinated, and almost all drinking water is desalinated.
Gross water production in 2016 was 270,241 MIG (1.23 million m3) in Abu Dhabi across its desalination plants. About 1%
of that was used internally by the production plants and 258,586 MIG (1.18 million m3) went into the network.
According to government body Regulation & Supervision Bureau (RSB), in 2015 peak water production was 852 MIGD
(3,873,269 m3/day) and this is forecast to grow by 2.5% to 950 MIGD (4,318,786 m3/day) by 2020. Of the water
desalinated, the majority is used in agriculture, followed by industry and domestic use. The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi
(EAD) estimates that water demand by 2030 will have grown to 6,900 million m3 a year, with about 4,500 million m3 being
used for agricultural purposes.
FORECAST PEAK WATER PRODUCTION IN ABU DHABI (MILLION m3/DAY)
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
2015 2020 2030
Source: Environmental Agency Abu Dhabi
DUBAI
Demand for water has increased steadily this decade. While Dubai’s installed desalination capacity has remained unchanged
at around 2.14 million m3/day (470 MIGD) since 2012, peak desalination water demand has risen by a little under 22% to
347 MIGD in 2016 over the same period.
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12Country Plans
INSTALLED DESALINATION CAPACITY AND PEAK DESALINATION DEMAND
750
650
Installed capacity (MIGD)
550
Peak Desalination
450 Demand (MIGD)
350 Source: DEWA
250
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2020 2030
WATER PRODUCTION (MIGD), 2017
Almost 95% of Dubai's desalination comes from plants using
multi-stage flash technology, powered using waste heat, with the
rest using reverse osmosis. However, the emirate is planning to
445 25 install more RO capacity to reduce its energy requirements for
desalination, with schemes including a new 181,844 m3/day
MSF RO capacity facility in Jebel Ali. The advisory services contract was
awarded in August 2016, with the main award due, following the
Source: DEWA close of the tender in January 2017.
WATER PRODUCTION (MIGD), 2030 PLANNED DESALINATION CAPACITY
Facility Capacity (m3/day) Technology Commissioning
New Jebel
181,844 RO 2020
445 305 Ali plant
MSF RO Source: DEWA
Source: DEWA
In February 2017, speaking at the World Government Summit, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, CEO and MD of Dubai Electricity
and Water Authority (DEWA), said the emirate would increase its RO water production by 36%.
By 2030, DEWA wants almost 41% of its desalination capacity to be based on RO, a significant increase on today’s 5.3%.
The emirate aims to have its desalination capacity powered by clean energy sources, with approximately 305 MIGD (1.39
million m3/day) also based on reverse osmosis.
The move will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save an estimated $13bn. Much of the solar energy will come
from the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park, which is planned to have reached a capacity of 5GW by
2030. The utility is also planning to retrofit existing plants with photovoltaic solar panels.
The utility has developed a solar-powered RO desalination facility at the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar
park, capable of producing 50 m3/day of drinking water, as part of its research into more energy-efficient desalination. It
opened in mid-2016.
13 INTERNATIONAL WATER SUMMIT: ENERGY EFFICIENT DESALINATIONCountry Plans
SHARJAH
Sharjah has a water desalination capacity of around 500,000 m3/day. Managed by Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority
(SEWA), the emirate’s main desalination plant is Layyah, which has been expanded over the years, and its newest is
Hamriyah. It also takes water from Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority to help meet its needs.
Water production began in its Hamriyah reverse osmosis PLANNED DESALINATION CAPACITY, SHARJAH
facility in 2015, its most recent plant to go live. Initial water
production is just under 91,000 m3/day, but SEWA plans to
eventually increase this. New Capacity: 10,000 m3 / day
In July 2017, SEWA awarded a contract to build a 10,000 Kalba Technology: Reverse Osmosis
m3/day plant in Kalba to Alpha Utilities. The scheme is being Developer: Alpha Utilities
developed as a PPP under a Build-Operate-Transfer contract.
Source: Alpha Utilities
NORTHERN EMIRATES
Water desalination in the northern emirates of Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, and Umm al-Quwain is managed by the
Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA). The authority has a water production capacity of about 296,776 m3/day, split
across RO and MED facilities. However, according to the latest available figures from the authority, actual water production is
far lower, at 119,468 m3/day in 2014.
WATER PRODUCTION BY TECHNOLOGY
In July 2017, the authority said to meet rising water
14% demand, it would concentrate on reverse osmosis for
future desalination plants, and look to increasingly
funded using the IWP model.
FEWA is building and expanding several RO desalination
plants in the region, adding about 485,000 m3/day of
new water production capacity. The projects have been
in the pipeline for several years. Thirteen organisations
86% have been shortlisted to bid to develop a facility in Umm
al-Quwain, while the Ghalilah plant will be expanded,
Reverse Osmosis Multi-effect Distillation adding 136,000 m3/day to its capacity.
Source: FEWA
PLANNED DESALINATION CAPACITY NORTHERN EMIRATES
Facility Location Total capacity ( m3/day) Technology
Al Zawra Ajman 136,383 RO
Ghalilah expansion Ras al-Khaimah 204,574 RO
Umm al-Quwain IWP Umm al-Quwain 204,574 RO
Source: Wam, Desalination Biz
internationalwatersummit.com 3
14About the report
This report was prepared by B2B Connect UAE exclusively for:
International Water Summit (IWS) is the leading event for showcasing and developing solutions for water
sustainability. IWS brings together government leaders, thought leaders, entrepreneurs, policy-makers and
thousands of visitors to access fast-growing opportunities in municipal water, industrial water and water for
real estate.
The next edition of International Water Summit will take place on 15-18 January 2018.
Register to visit or exhibit.
All rights reserved.
For more information, please visit www.internationalwatersummit.com or write to:
Naji El Haddad
Group Event Director
T: +971 2 409 0499
naji.haddad@reedexpo.ae
Hussam Yared
Sales Manager
T: +971 2 409 0365
M: +971 50 667 8734
hussam.yared@reedexpo.ae
Rose Carbonell
Marketing
T: +971 2 409 0394
rose.carbonell@reedexpo.ae
Organised by
This report was prepared by B2B Connect UAE for Reed Exhibitions, organiser of International Water Summit. Reed Exhibitions does not guarantee the accuracy and completeness of the information and data
provided within the report and therefore disclaim liability for any errors and omissions. The findings and interpretations expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of Reed Exhibitions. The report
serves for informational purposes only. No business decision shall be made solely based on this report.
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