Veolia, the global water technology leader, has announced that one of its key subsidiaries, Sidem, has been awarded a $320-million contract to provide engineering services and supply key technologies for the Hassyan seawater desalination plant in Dubai.

 

Commissioned by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) and Saudi-based utility provider Acwa Power, the Hassyan facility will be the second largest desalination plant based on reverse osmosis (RO) technology in the world, and the largest desalination plant powered by solar energy. 

 

Located approximately 55km southwest of Dubai Creek, the plant will have a capacity of 180 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD) - providing a safe and reliable source of drinking water to two million people. 

 

According to Veolia, this significant project underlines its commitment, reaffirmed in its new GreenUp strategic plan, to provide sustainable, low-carbon and energy-efficient solutions, while guaranteeing the preservation of water resources in a context of adaptation to climate change.

 

The plant will start operating in 2026, with a gradual ramp-up to full capacity in 2027, it added. 

 

On the contract win, Veolia CEO Estelle Brachlianoff said: "All over the world, people are looking for solutions to climate change. The watchword is adaptation: at Veolia, we have solutions to act as a catalyst for ecological transformation, which is the thrust of our GreenUp strategic plan."

 

"This latest achievement confirms our leading position in water technologies. Our commitment to high operational and environmental standards has been the driving force behind our leadership in desalination for over 50 years," she stated. 

 

"Our efforts have made the impossible possible, reducing the energy consumption of large-scale desalination to 2.9 kWh/m3," she added.

 

According to her, the Dewa project is part of a broader strategy to sustainably increase water desalination capacity to help support Dubai's increasing demand for water in domestic and commercial settings. 

 

This project, she stated, will feature an exceptional energy efficiency performance, with an incredibly low energy consumption rate of 2.9 kWh per cu m. 

 

Sidem's extensive expertise in large-scale desalination, including the critical pre-treatment and post-treatment stages, has helped maximize the potential of RO technology in terms of energy efficiency, reducing the energy consumption of RO desalination plants by a further 35% over the past 10 years, she added.-TradeArabia News Service