Operations begin at Al Taweelah independent water and power project

Al Taweelah (IWP), the world’s largest reverse osmosis water desalination facility, has become operational in Abu Dhabi a couple of days ago.

The Emirates Water and Electricity Company and ACWA Power, have signed the water purchase agreement, for the desalination plant to be constructed at Taweelah Power and Water Complex, 50 km north of Abu Dhabi. The Taweelah IWP will be the first stand-alone independent water project in Abu Dhabi.

The two companies have announced the commencement of operations for the first phase of Al Taweelah Independent Water Plant (IWP) with the production of 454,600 cubic metres of desalinated water per day, reaching 50% capacity of the plant.

The $874-million water desalination plant has the capacity to generate 909,200 cubic meters per day of desalinated water, the Saudi Arabia-based ACWA Power said in a bourse filing.

Supports Industries

The facility will support the industries and the community at Al Taweelah and the surrounding areas. The plant will also play a role in catering to Abu Dhabi’s peak water demand, which is expected to rise by 11% between 2017 and 2024.

The tariff offered by ACWA Power for the Al Taweelah IWP is the lowest achieved to date in the world for desalinated water. The project, when constructed, will also set another world record by utilizing the lowest amount of energy per gallon of water produced.

Connected to the Abu Dhabi network in December 2021, Al Taweelah now provides 100 million gallons of desalinated water per day, and will eventually reach 200 million gallons per day, making it the world’s largest reverse osmosis (RO) facility with a capacity of 909,200 cu m per day.

The plant supports the industries and the community at Al 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 Q1 in 2023.

Al Taweelah IWP employs low carbon-intensive reverse osmosis (RO) technology and 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 plant.

ACWA Power Lead Developer

ACWA Power is the lead developer and operator of the project and a 40% shareholder, with the remaining 60% contributed by the Government of Abu Dhabi through Abu Dhabi Power Corporation and Mubadala Development Company.

Emirates Water & Electricity Company, a fully owned entity of the Government of Abu Dhabi and the water and power supplier of the region is the sole off-taker of the project under a 30-year contracted project.

“The start of operations for the first phase of water desalination at the Al Taweelah IWP is a milestone moment for ACWA Power, the UAE and the wider region,” said Paddy Padmanathan, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at ACWA Power.

“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.”

The financial impact pertaining to the operation of the first phase of the project is expected from Q2 2022 financial results onwards. ACWA Power is the largest private operator of water desalination plants in the world, leading   a robust portfolio of 10 mega-scale SWRO projects.