EWEC (Emirates Water and Electricity Company) announced on Monday that it has awarded its Mirfa 2 Reverse Osmosis (M2 RO) Independent Water Project (IWP) to a consortium of France’s Engie and UAE-based TAQA.

TAQA and ENGIE signed Water Purchase Agreement (WPA) with EWEC for the 120 million imperial gallons per day (equivalent to approximately 550,000 cubic metres per day) RO desalination plant, according to an EWEC press statement.

The project would be 60 per cent owned by TAQA, while the remaining 40 per cent will be owned by Engie, the statement said.

The project’s financial closure is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2023, enabling initial water production in summer 2025, and full production by third quarter of 2025.

TAQA will also hold a stake in the operations and maintenance (O&M) company, the statement noted.

Othman Al Ali, Chief Executive Officer of EWEC, said: "We look forward to this strategic collaboration with TAQA and ENGIE, which will see the development of the UAE’s third largest low-carbon intensive RO water desalination plant. The development of the M2 RO water desalination project enables EWEC to further accelerate its strategic initiative of decoupling water desalination operations from power generation and implement tangible and effective actions that contribute to the achievement of UAE Water Security Strategy 2036 and the UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative objectives.

He said by 2030, over 90 per cent of EWEC’s water production is expected to be via RO, resulting in the total carbon emissions associated with water production falling from 14.6 million tonnes in 2020 to 2.1 million tonnes by 2030

Farid Al Awlaqi, Executive Director of Generation at TAQA Group, said the project supports the company’s target to have RO-based water production accounting for more than two-thirds of its total capacity by 2030.

Frederic Claux, Managing Director, Thermal and Supply AMEA, Engie, described M2 RO as “significant win” for its regional business while meeting the demands of a net zero carbon future.

Read more:

Acciona, ACWA Power, Engie and GS Inima in the race for Mirfa 2 IWP

Abu Dhabi invites expression of interest for M2 independent water project

(Writing by Senthil Palanisamy; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)