Gulf Construction Online - Ewec invites bids for Shuweihat desal project

UAE Focus

The Shuweihat S4 Project will produce 70 MIGD of potable water, using reverse osmosis technology.

Ewec invites bids for Shuweihat desal project

01 January 2022

Emirates Water and Electricity Company (Ewec) has issued requests for qualifications (RFQs) for the development of an independent water project at Shuweihat some 250 km west of capital Abu Dhabi.

A leading company in the integrated coordination of planning, purchasing and supply of water and electricity across the UAE, Ewec said a total of 35 companies and consortiums have submitted EOIs.

The Shuweihat S4 Project will desalinate seawater using reverse osmosis (RO) desalination technology, a low carbon-intensive process, to produce up to 70 million gallons per day (MIGD) of potable water, sufficient to meet the water demand for 125,000 households.

Shuweihat S4 continues Ewec’s strategic investment in innovative RO seawater desalination technology; the company recently issued RFQs for the 80 MIGD Mirfa 2 (M2) RO IWP.

Combined, these two new projects will provide 150 MIGD of new RO seawater desalination capacity, improving the security of water supply and playing a key role in the ongoing cost reduction initiatives in the sector by decoupling power and water generation capacity in Abu Dhabi.

The RFQ is being issued to selected bidders that submitted an Expressions of Interest (EOI). Once the qualification process has been completed, the companies or consortia that qualify will be invited to respond to a detailed Request for Proposal (RFP) that will be launched by Ewec.

The Shuweihat S4 RO project will be located adjacent to the existing Shuweihat S3 IPP Project, within the Shuweihat power and water complex.

The winning bidder will be responsible for the development, financing, construction, operation, maintenance and ownership of a standalone greenfield RO seawater desalination plant with a capacity of 70 MGD of water output, together with associated infrastructure.

As per the deal, it will own up to 40 per cent of the entity while the remaining equity will be primarily held indirectly by the Abu Dhabi government.

Ewec aims to achieve financial close by the end of 2022 with a target project commercial operations date by Q3 2025. The last date for submitting the bids was set at December 31.