Dubai breaks the record for the second time regarding water desalination industry
Introduction
ACCIONA is constructing the Jebel Ali reverse osmosis desalination facility in Dubai.
The neighborhood network currently produces 182,000 m3 of drinking water per day.
The facility was built by ACCIONA and BESIX and is one of the largest reverse osmosis desalination plants in the United Arab Emirates.
It is owned by the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA).
ACCIONA was responsible for the facility’s design and construction according to the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which is backed by this program, by the year 2050, 75% of the country’s total energy capacity is anticipated to come from clean energy sources.
A comprehensive strategy has been implemented in Dubai to ensure the sustainability of water resources, according to the Dubai Integrated Water Resources Management Strategy, which focuses on improving water resources, rationalizing water use, and utilizing cutting-edge technologies and inventive solutions to reduce water consumption by 30% by 2030.
By completing the Jebel Ali desalination plant to the highest technical standards, DEWA, ILF and the construction consortium made up of ACCIONA and BESIX have proven their commitment to the project.
The health and safety of the on-site staff have also been a top focus during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recently, more than 6.5 million man-hours were spent building desalination facilities without any lost time accidents.
General information
Location: Jebel Ali, Dubai. UAE
Capacity: 182,000 m3/d
Procedure: Reverse Osmosis
Type of Contract: EPC
Population supplied: 700.000
Start-up year: 2020
DEWA’s SWRO water desalination plant in Jebel Ali is 92.4% complete
According to Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, the Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant at the Jebel Ali Power Plant and Desalination Complex is 92.4% finished (DEWA).
The Complex is Dubai’s main source of electricity and water and offers a high level of dependability, effectiveness and quality.
DEWA awarded the AED 871 million project to a consortium with a 40 Million Imperial Gallons per Day (MIGD) desalination capacity, led by Spain’s Acciona Agua and Belhasa Six Construct (BeSIX).
In order to meet demand and stay up with Dubai’s expansion, DEWA is continuing to work on water and electricity infrastructure projects, according to He Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.
In order to maintain the production surplus required to pay for the reserve margin for times of peak water demand, he claimed that the project is on pace and should be completed in Q4 of 2021.
Al Tayer stated that DEWA has a maximum water demand of 378 MIGD and a desalinated water installation capacity of 490 MIGD.
In order to increase its market share from 13% to 42% by 2030, DEWA plans to increase its SWRO manufacturing capacity to 303 MIGD.
SWRO desalination plants require less energy than Multi-Stage Flash plants (MSF).
730 MIGD will be capable of producing desalinated water in 2030.
According to DEWA’s strategy, 100% of desalinated water will be generated by 2030 utilizing a sustainable energy mix that consists of both renewable energy and waste heat.
As a result, Dubai will be able to surpass global targets for using clean energy to desalinate water.
Desalination will be decoupled from electricity production by 2030, and enhancing operational effectiveness will result in savings of roughly AED 13 billion and a 44 million tonne decrease in carbon emissions.
According to Nasser Lootah, executive vice president of DEWA’s Generation Division, the company uses smart technologies to efficiently manage and keep an eye on desalination facilities, hence boosting availability and dependability.
To clean the water and get rid of any pollutants prior to the desalination process, DEWA first installed the Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) system in the “K” station SWRO plant.
In particular, during red tide when total suspended particles and turbidity are at their maximum levels, enables the desalination process to continue regardless of the weather.
The plant also incorporates a Dual Media Filter (DMF), which extends the lifespan and efficiency of the reverse osmosis membranes by improving the quality of the seawater supply and filtering it.
Additionally, the project’s two-pass reverse osmosis technology guarantees that the drinkable water is of the highest quality.
The recovery machinery of the SWRO plant has a 96% efficiency rating.
They transmit the high pressure from the first pass brine/reject stream using a portion of the feed water stream heading to the first pass intake.
As a result, the high-pressure pump uses a lot less electricity, which boosts the desalination process’ effectiveness.
DEWA now runs 43 MSF water desalination units with a combined water production capacity of 427 MIGD at the D, E, G, K, L, and M Stations.
It also has two SWRO units with a total output capacity of 63 MIGD. DEWA can produce 490 MIGD of desalinated water at the Jebel Ali Power Plant and Desalination Complex.
DEWA ensures the quality of desalinated water through continuous diagnosis at various stages of desalination in order to supply customers with drinking water that complies with the highest international quality and safety standards, including those set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for producing, transmitting, and distributing drinking water.
DEWA increases its capacity of desalinated water to 490 million imperial gallons per day
After incorporating new cutting-edge units at its Jebel Ali Power Plant and Desalination Complex using Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) technology, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has announced that its capacity of producing desalinated water has increased to 490 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD).
This is a component of their attempts to keep up with Dubai’s ongoing growth and provide the Emirate’s rising demand for water and power.
In accordance with the vision of wise leadership, we strive to build a world-class infrastructure that can keep up with the rising demand for water and energy while providing top-notch services for more than a million customers in Dubai in accordance with the highest standards of efficiency, availability, and reliability.
According to HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, “This is supported by assets worth more than AED 182 billion owned by DEWA and its subsidiaries as well as investments of up to AED 86 billion over five years in the energy and water sectors.”
Al Tayer stated that DEWA now operates 43 Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) water desalination units at the D, E, G, K, L, and M Stations, with a combined output capacity of 427 MIGD of water.
Additionally, it has 2 SWRO facilities with a 63 MIGD output capacity.
At the Jebel Ali Power Plant and Desalination Complex, DEWA has a total desalinated water production capacity of 490 MIGD.
According to Al Tayer, DEWA plans to boost its SWRO production capacity to 303 MIGD by 2030, increasing its market share from 13% to 42%.
In 2030, the capacity for producing desalinated water will be 730 MIGD.
Plants for SWRO desalination use less energy than those for MSF.
One of DEWA’s most recent projects utilizing this technology is at the Jebel Ali K-Station, which has an investment budget of AED 897 million and a production capacity of 40 MIGD.
Executive Vice President of DEWA’s Generation Division, Nasser Lootah, stated that DEWA uses smart technologies to effectively regulate and monitor desalination plants, increasing availability and dependability.
For the first time, DEWA installed the Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) system in the “K” station SWRO plant to purify water and get rid of any impurities before the desalination process.
This makes it possible for the desalination process to go on regardless of the weather, particularly during red tide when total suspended solids and turbidity are at their highest levels.
Additionally, the two-pass reverse osmosis system used in this project ensures that the potable water is of a high caliber.
The first pass brine/reject stream’s high pressure is used to transfer a portion of the feed water stream to the first pass intake using highly effective recovery mechanisms at “96% efficiency,” which are installed in the SWRO plant.
As a result, the high-pressure pump uses substantially less electricity, which improves the desalination process’ effectiveness.
Customers can access drinking water that satisfies the highest international quality and safety standards, including those set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for producing, transmitting and distributing drinking water, thanks to DEWA’s continuous monitoring across all stages of the desalination process.
References
