Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), announced that Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power is the ‘Preferred Bidder’ for the construction and operation of the 180 Million Imperial Gallon per Day (MIGD) Sea Water Reverse Osmosis Hassyan Phase 1 Independent Water Producer (IWP) project, with an investment of AED 3.357 billion (USD 914 million).

DEWA has achieved a world record by receiving the lowest bid of 0.36536 USD/m³ of desalinated water.

The new project aligns with Dubai’s unparalleled economic growth and the Emirate’s thriving construction sector. This complements the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, addresses the substantial population growth, and meets the steadily increasing demand for water in domestic, commercial, and other consumer sectors.

This project is the largest of its kind in the world for water production based on Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) technology using solar energy. It is DEWA’s first Independent Water Producer (IWP) model project. The water desalination capacity in Dubai is currently 490 MIGD. This capacity will increase to 670 MIGD in 2026 with the completion of this project.

DEWA received 29 expressions of interest from international developers to implement this project. The Request for Qualification (RFQ) was released to market on 18th October 2022. Six international companies were qualified to submit their bids. DEWA received two bids from ACWA Power and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA) on 22nd of May 2023 in response to the Request for Proposal (RFP) released to the market on 09 of December 2022.