Abu Dhabi’s Taweelah plant now the largest commercially operating RO facility in the world
The production of desalinated water using low-carbon intensive reverse osmosis (RO) technology from the Taweelah RO facility has surpassed 90% capacity, producing 183 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD), equivalent to 831,935 cubic meters per day. EWEC is a leading company in the integrated coordination of planning, purchasing, and supply of water and electricity across the UAE. As a result, Taweelah RO is the biggest operating RO facility in the world.
Taweelah RO will deliver 200MIGD, or 909,200 cubic meters of potable water per day, once it is fully operational. A crucial component of EWEC’s strategic strategy to separate the production of water and electricity is the deployment of low-carbon intensive RO water desalination technology. RO boosts energy efficiency.
Taweelah RO will deliver 200MIGD, or 909,200 cubic meters of potable water per day, once it is fully operational. EWEC’s strategic initiative to decouple water and power generation is based in part on its adoption of low-carbon intensive RO water desalination technology. RO increases energy efficiency by 96% when compared to traditional thermal desalination plants and reduces carbon emissions by more than 85%.
A major strategic pillar for the long-term decarbonisation of the water and energy sectors, low carbon-intensive water desalination is crucial to meeting the water demands of Abu Dhabi and the UAE
“Taweelah RO is part of EWEC’s strategic shift of its water and power generation portfolio, supporting the decarbonization of the energy sector in line with the UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative,” stated Othman Al Ali, Chief Executive Officer of EWEC.
Taweelah RO is now functioning at more than 90% of its potential, making it the largest commercially viable reverse osmosis desalination facility in the world. We are proud of the cooperation with our partners that made this possible.
By 2030, 90% of all water desalination will be produced using reverse osmosis, enabling an 8% reduction in our carbon emissions related to water production. By 2027, we expect to add 290 MIGD of new reverse osmosis production capacity.
Due to EWEC’s strategic investments in top-tier, utility-scale transformational reverse osmosis water desalination facilities, Abu Dhabi and the UAE are able to move forward with sustainability more quickly.
Low carbon-intensive water desalination is a key strategic pillar for the long-term decarbonization of the energy and water sectors and is essential for satisfying Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s water needs while considerably decreasing carbon emissions.
In addition to Mirfa 1, the Fujairah F1 and Fujairah F2 hybrid water desalination and power facilities, Taweelah RO is EWEC’s fourth operating desalination plant with RO capacity.
As part of the Abu Dhabi Islands RO Independent Water Project, EWEC has also ordered the construction of four more low-carbon intensive water production facilities, including Mirfa 2 RO, Shuweihat 4 RO, and two standalone RO water desalination plants.
According to the Water Purchase Agreement signed in 2019, EWEC will purchase water from Taweelah RO for the next 30 years. Taweelah RO is owned by TAQA Group (20%), Mubadala (40%), and ACWA Power (40%).
Source: Emirates Water & Electricity (EWEC)
