‘Project Wave’ expected to have combined treatment capacity of 210 million imperial gallons a day under build, own, operate and transfer basis

Expressions of interest (EoI) have been invited by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) for a large-scale water treatment and transportation infrastructure development project under a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis.

According to reports, companies have to submit their EoI by March 15 for the development, which is being referred to as “Project Wave”. The portal Energy-Utilities reported that the project will “involve the development, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of two standalone greenfield seawater nanofiltration plants with a combined treatment capacity of 210 million imperial gallons a day”.

Construction of pumping stations and transmission pipelines, including 450km of new pipeline infrastructure, are also part of the project to transport the treated water to onshore fields.

The design of the project seeks to replace the current aquifer water injection systems used for maintaining reservoir pressure in onshore fields in Abu Dhabi with more sustainable water resources, the report said, and added that the plant will also form part of ADNOC’s carbon emissions reduction strategy, with the increased efficiencies expected to lead to a net reduction in CO2 emissions.

A special purpose vehicle (SPV) will be formed by the successful bidders, with ADNOC delivering the BOOT scheme. A long-term water treatment and transportation agreement (WTTA) will also be signed between the SPV and ADNOC, the offtaker for the scheme, with the project returned in full to ADNOC at the end of the WTTA.