ACWA Power and Sewa sign deal

Saudi-listed ACWA Power on Thursday signed an agreement with Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (Sewa) to develop Sharjah’s first Independent Water Project (IWP) that will help meet the increasing demand for potable water in the emirate.

The Hamriyah IWP will be developed using seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) technology. The plant will generate nearly 272,000 cubic metre per day (m3/day) of desalinated water by Q2, 2027.

Upon reaching full operations in Q3, 2028, the plant’s capacity will reach 410,000 m3/day of desalinated water that will result in potable water sufficient for 1.4 million people.

Abdullah Abdul Rahman Al Shamsi, Director General of SEWA, said: “The signing of the agreement to establish a water desalination plant in Al Hamriyah with one of the largest specialist companies in this field aligns with the plan to develop the water sector system in the Emirate of Sharjah. It is considered one of the largest investments in water at the emirate level, utilising the latest technologies.”

“The new plant will operate using the reverse osmosis system for water desalination and includes the latest post-treatment, filtration, and disinfection technologies. The project will increase water production capacity, adding a storage capacity of 90 million gallons, in addition to consuming no more than 3.2 kilowatts per hour to produce one cubic metre of water.”

Remarking on the agreement, Marco Arcelli, Chief Executive Officer of ACWA Power, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with SEWA on this landmark project, bringing our total portfolio in the UAE to eight projects in both power and water. This project reinforces ACWA Power’s indisputable global leadership in water desalination, and we look forward to bringing our extensive experience in low-carbon intensive RO desalination to the emirate of Sharjah, providing an end-to-end solution to meet growing demand for clean and affordable water.”

WAM