Dubai utility provider gets 29 bids for Hassyan reverse osmosis plant

State-owned Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has received 29 expressions of interest to implement the first phase of its 120 million gallons per day Hassyan seawater reverse osmosis plant project using the independent water producer (IWP) model.

This is the first project implemented by Dewa using the IWP model, which will run in phases during 2025 and 2026, the UAE state-run WAM news agency reported.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and chief executive of Dewa, highlighted that the authority uses clean solar power to desalinate seawater using the latest reverse osmosis technologies, which consume less energy. This supports the UAE water security strategy 2036.

“According to our plans, 100 percent of desalinated water will be produced by a mix of clean energy that uses both renewable energy and waste heat. This will allow Dubai to exceed global targets for using clean energy to desalinate water,” he said.

Al Tayer added that increasing operational efficiency in decoupling desalination from electricity production will save around AED 13 billion ($3.54 billion) and reduce carbon emissions by 2030.

Dewa has appointed a consortium of companies, including Deloitte, WSP and Addleshaw Goddard, to provide consultancy services for the desalination project at the Hassyan complex.