Dubai: $353m expansion of sewage plant is 17% complete
Works will double the capacity of Jebel Ali Sewage Treatment Plant, senior government official says
Work on doubling the capacity of Jebel Ali Sewage Treatment Plant in Dubai is ongoing at full pace, with 17% of the project’s second phase already completed.
According to a report by WAM, the $353 million expansion works project has three main objectives – absorbing the excess influx from the planned Expo 2020 areas; keeping pace with the upcoming expansion projects in the emirate; and shifting a certain percentage of load from the Warsan plant to the Jebel Ali, as the former is running at 27% above design capacity.
Once the work is completed, the Jebel Ali Sewage Treatment Plant will have its capacity increased to 675,000 cu m per day, from 375,000 cu m per day, the report said, citing a senior government official.
“The project is being developed in six phases in two main pathways, the liquid waste treatment process and solid waste treatment process,” stated Mohamed Ahmed Al Rayes, the acting director of the Sewerage and Irrigation Department.
“It has a plant for the production of compost from solid waste which is sold to the public, which adds economic value to the project. The treated water is pumped again through a pipeline network covering the whole of Dubai for use in irrigation of public parks and is sold to developers and farm owners, which also adds economic value to the project,” he explained.
Al Rayes also pointed out that a by-product of the process includes methane, which will be used in the production of electricity, which in turn will reduce energy consumption from the public network, in line with Dubai’s sustainability policy.
