ACWA Power, a Saudi-listed company and the world’s largest private water desalination company, the first mover into green hydrogen, and a leader in energy transition, has been declared as the ‘Preferred Bidder’ for the Hassyan Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) plant by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). This project will increase ACWA Power’s overall water capacity to 7.6 million m3/day.

The win was secured after ACWA Power submitted the lowest water levelised tariff of USD$0.365 per cubic metre (m3) in May 2023, setting a world-record for DEWA’s first Independent Water Producer (IWP) model project.

ACWA Power has now been selected as the preferred bidder to construct and operate the 818,280 m3/day plant, which is one of the world’s largest plants.

The plant is an integral part of DEWA’s strategy to scale up Dubai’s water desalination capacity and to produce 100 percent desalinated water from a mix of clean energy and waste heat by 2030. When complete in 2026, the Hassyan IWP will increase water desalination in Dubai from 2,227,540 million m3/day to 3,409,500 million m3/day.

“We are delighted to set the world record once again for the lowest water levelised tariff rate – in fact, this is the first IWP project in history to break the $USD0.4/m3 barrier for a SWRO plant of this scale. This has been made possible by the combination of innovation and our spirit to continuously improve the efficiency of our projects.” Marco Arcelli, Chief Executive Officer of ACWA Power.

“We are honoured to have been entrusted this project by our longstanding partner DEWA, and we are committed to contributing towards the Emirate of Dubai’s Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 to supply clean, affordable and responsible water to its communities,” added Arcelli.

ACWA Power was recently recognised by Global Water Intelligence (GWI) as the world’s largest water project developer outside of China. ACWA Power now manages its water portfolio across four countries, with an overall market presence in over 12 countries.