Spanish infrastructure major Acciona said it has completed a major milestone in the construction of Dubai’s Jebel Ali Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant, which is now producing at 100% of capacity.
The desalination plant, built by Acciona and Besix and owned by Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa), has begun its daily production of 182 million liters of potable water, and is already supplying the city’s water network.
With the launch of the plant's operations, it has become one of the largest reverse osmosis desalination plants in the UAE. Acciona said its scope of work included the design and construction of the facility.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director & CEO of Dewa, said the new Jebel Ali SWRO facility is in line with the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 of providing 75% of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.
"In Dubai, we have a comprehensive approach to ensure the sustainability of water resources in line with the Dubai Integrated Water Resource Management Strategy, which focuses on enhancing water resources, rationalizing water consumption, and using cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to reduce water consumption by 30% by 2030," stated Al Tayer.
Acciona’s Project Director Francisco Javier Nieto said: "This milestone is the result of good teamwork between the client, our engineers and the construction teams in adverse conditions resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. We are very proud to contribute to the supply of drinking water to Dubai in a sustainable and innovative way."
"This achievement reflects the shared commitment of Dewa, engineering firm ILF, and the construction consortium formed by Acciona and Besix, to deliver the Jebel Ali desalination plant to the highest technical standards of excellence," noted Nieto.
"The health and safety of workers at the site has also been of paramount importance during the pandemic. Construction of the desalination plant recently surpassed 6.5 million man-hours without lost-time injuries," he added.-TradeArabia News Service