EWEC (Emirates Water and Electricity Company), provider of the integrated coordination of planning, purchasing and supply of water and electricity across the UAE, has invited developers and developer consortiums to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) for the development of Abu Dhabi Islands Reverse Osmosis (RO) Independent Water Project (IWP).

The Abu Dhabi Islands RO IWP project consists of two standalone greenfield RO seawater desalination plants to be located on Saadiyat Island and Hudayriat Island. Both plants will desalinate seawater using low-carbon intensive RO technologies to provide a combined total of approximately 100 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD), equivalent to 455,000 m3/day. Together, the plants under the Abu Dhabi Islands RO IWP project will meet the water demand for up to 180,000 households in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Once operational, this project will initiate EWEC’s seventh and eighth RO desalination plants to decouple power and water generation capacity, supporting the decarbonization of water and electricity production.

Othman Al Ali, chief executive officer of EWEC, said, “Reverse Osmosis is a vital low-carbon intensive seawater desalination technology that enables EWEC to strategically change its water and power generation portfolio, and ultimately contribute to the decarbonization of the energy sector.”

The project will involve the development, financing, construction, operation, maintenance and ownership of two standalone greenfield RO seawater desalination plants. The successful developer or developer consortium will own up to 40% of a special purpose vehicle (SPV), while the remaining equity will be primarily held indirectly by the Abu Dhabi government. The SPV will enter into a long-term water purchase agreement (WPA) with EWEC, the single buyer of power and water capacity and output in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The deadline for the EOI submission is September 30, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. GST for the first stage of the tender process. Interested parties are requested to submit their EOI via electronic copy to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Following review of the EOIs, EWEC will issue the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to proceed to the next stage. The RFQ will provide additional details regarding the project, pre-qualification criteria and the bidding process.