ACWA Power and Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) announced the commencement of operations for the first phase of the Al Taweelah Independent Water Plant (IWP) in the United Arab Emirates. The facility can now produce 454.6 thousand cubic meters of desalinated water per day using low carbon-intensive reverse osmosis (RO) technology, reaching 50% capacity of the plant.
Connected to the Abu Dhabi network in December 2021, Al Taweelah now provides 100 million gallons of desalinated water per day. It will eventually reach 200 million gallons per day, making it the world’s largest reverse osmosis (RO) facility, with a capacity of 909,200 cubic meters/day.
The Independent Water Plant supports the industries and the community at AI Taweelah and the surrounding areas and will additionally play a key role in catering to Abu Dhabi’s peak water demand, which is expected to rise by the first quarter of 2023.
Al Taweelah IWP is partially powered by solar energy, which is expected to account for at least 30% of the project’s electricity capacity within eight years, with a target of raising this figure to 55% by the end of the first quarter-life of the project. The company did not reveal any details about the solar park that is being used to cover part of the desalination unit’s electricity demand.
“The start of operations for the first phase of water desalination at the Al Taweelah IWP in Abu Dhabi is a milestone moment for ACWA Power, the UAE, and the wider region. The potential emanating from water production through low carbon-intensive technologies is exponential and will ensure we continue to meet the water demands of Abu Dhabi and beyond, alongside our partners,” said Paddy Padmanathan, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at ACWA Power.
“We are proud to work hand in hand with EWEC as a reliable partner to operate the largest desalination project in the world, confirming our commitment to contribute to the UAE’s 2050 Energy Strategy aims as the nation decarbonizes the energy sector. We look forward to working towards the next step of operating the second phase with full 200 MIGD capacity.”
ACWA Power owns and operates 15 desalination plants producing over 6.4 million m3/day, enough water to meet the needs of over 40 million people daily. ACWA Power utilizes pioneering technologies and integrates clean energy to fuel water desalination, which has been partially installed in several regional mega projects such as the Rabigh 3, Red Sea development project, Jubail 3A, Umm Al Quwain IWP, and Shuaibah 3 IWP.
