World record bid submitted for Dubai desalination plant
Acwa Power leads competitive tenders for DEWA’s Hassyan Phase 1 project
Acwa Power has emerged as the preferred bidder for the construction and operation of the Hassyan Phase 1 Independent Water Producer (IWP) project. Being set up at with an investment of US $914mn, the plant will process 180 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD) of sea water, using ‘reverse osmosis’ technology.
DEWA said that the project is the largest of its kind in the world for water production based on SWRO technology and using solar energy.
This is in fact DEWA’s first Independent Water Producer (IWP) project. The water desalination capacity in the emirate is currently 490 MIGD, and will increase to 670 MIGD in 2026 with the completion of the project.
On launching competitive bids for the project on 18th October 2022, DEWA received 29 expressions of interest from international developers, with six international companies qualifying to submit their tenders.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA said, “We are building water production plants based on SWRO technology which require less energy than multi-stage flash distillation (MSF) plants, making it a more sustainable choice for water desalination. By 2030, we aim to produce 100% of desalinated water by a mix of clean energy and waste heat. The new project aligns with Dubai’s unparalleled economic growth and the emirate’s thriving construction sector. This complements the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, addresses the substantial population growth, and meets the steadily increasing demand for water in domestic, commercial, and other consumer sectors.”
DEWA, he added, has also achieved a world record by receiving the lowest bid ever recorded for a project of this kind, at $0.36536 per cu/m of desalinated water.
