Gulf Construction Online - Shuweihat 4 RO plant to begin operations in 2026

UAE Focus

Reverse osmosis ... a major desalination technology.

Shuweihat 4 RO plant to begin operations in 2026

01 January 2024

Commercial operations of the AED1.6 billion ($444 million) Shuweihat 4 Reverse Osmosis seawater desalination project (S4 RO) in Abu Dhabi are expected to commence in Q2 2026, it has been revealed.

The announcement follows Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) and Spanish utility major GS Inima signing an agreement with Emirates Water and Electricity Company for financial closing of the project.

Ewec will procure water supplied by the S4 RO plant for 30 years.

This is Taqa’s second utility-scale reverse osmosis plant to reach financial close in 2023 and it is the second major reverse osmosis project awarded by Ewec in the year, following the Mirfa 2 Reverse Osmosis Seawater Desalination Project in H1 2023.

Located within the Shuweihat Power and Water Complex, S4 RO will supply up to 70 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD) of potable water, significantly enhancing the security of water supply in Abu Dhabi.

The project is 60 per cent owned by Taqa and 40 per cent by GS Inima. Both companies will also take on the operations and maintenance (O&M) of the plant, with 60 per cent of the O&M company owned by GS Inima.

According to Taqa, the S4 RO financial closing comes following the sealing of the water purchase agreement by the duo with Ewec in August.

The low-carbon intensive project is primarily funded (71 per cent) through debt financing from both local and international banks, including Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Commercial Bank of Dubai, KfW IPEX-Bank and The Export-Import Bank of Korea.

Farid Al Awlaqi, Executive Director of Generation at Taqa, said the company has established itself as the UAE’s leading utility company for owning and operating large-scale RO water desalination plants.

“S4 RO will further enhance our existing portfolio and our strong pipeline of RO projects that are bringing us closer to meeting our 2030 target for deploying efficient RO technology within our water generation portfolio. Taqa’s water generation capacity will be over 1,250 MIGD, making us a major player in water desalination,” he stated.