Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has announced that Saudi-based Acwa Power has emerged as the lowest bidder for its Hassyan Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) plant in Dubai. 

 

A leading developer, investor, and operator of power generation, water desalination and green hydrogen plants worldwide, Acwa Power had submitted the lowest water levelised tariff of $0.389 per cu m for the base proposal of 120 million gallons per day (MIGD) and $0.365 per cu m for the alternative proposal of 180 MIGD for the Hassyan SWRO Plant.

 

Apart from Acwa Power, Dewa also received a bid from Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa), it stated.

 

The project is Dewa’s first Independent Water Producer model (IWP) project. The utility major had adopted the IWP procurement model for the Hassyan desalination plant following the success of the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park projects. 

 

"We are building water production plants based on reverse osmosis (RO) which requires less energy than multi-stage flash distillation (MSF) plants, making it a more sustainable choice for water desalination," said  Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, the MD & CEO of Dewa.

 

"By 2030, Dewa aims to produce 100% of desalinated water by a mix of clean energy and waste heat," he added.

 

According to him, Dewa began the procurement process by issuing an Expression of Interest (EoI) in August last year followed by issuing the Request for Qualification (RFQ) to 29 interested bidders in October. 

 

Following a rigorous qualification process, Dewa prequalified six international bidders to whom the Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued in December.

 

According to Dewa, the 120 MIGD IWP Project comprises two blocks of 60 MIGD each, located within the Hassyan area on the Arabian Gulf coast in Dubai, approximately 55 km to the south-west of the Dubai Creek. 

 

The project will be commissioned in phases, with 60 MIGD in October 2025, and the full 120 MIGD in April 2026, to meet future potable water requirements for the emirate, it added.