• Coxabengoa Group’s water division, Abengoa Water, transfers the entire plant to the customer, after announcing the entry into commercial operation of phase two of Taweelah in April 2023 and phase one in June 2022.

The water division of the Coxabengoa Group, Abengoa Water, has successfully completed the final tests of the commercial operation phase of the complete Taweelah desalination plant (phase one + phase two), according to a new press release.

Taweelah desalination plant is the largest reverse osmosis desalination plant in the world, located in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), with a production of 909,218 m3/day.

For 30 consecutive days, the plant has passed the final performance tests, demonstrating its capacity by desalinating 204 MIGD in a single day, exceeding the planned capacity by 2%.

Following the successful completion of the final contractual tests, the plant has been handed over to the client, the project company called “Taweelah RO Desalination Company LLC”, formed by the Emirati companies TAQA and Mubadala; as well as ACWA Power, which also acts as Promoter in this contract.

The Taweelah desalination plant produces a total of 909,218 m3/day, making it the largest reverse osmosis desalination plant in the world in terms of production. Taweelah guarantees supply to the city of Abu Dhabi (approximately four and a half million people) throughout the year. It is also the emirate’s first large-scale plant to combine the production of drinking water with the generation of clean energy, thanks to the installation of a photovoltaic solar field with a capacity of more than 70 MWp. This solar field, in turn, gives Taweelah the possibility to be self-sufficient in a sustainable way and to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. This project, located on the coast of the Persian Gulf, is part of the plan developed by the government of the United Arab Emirates to encourage private participation in the development of the country’s infrastructures.

Abengoa Water’s scope of work on the Taweelah project included design, engineering, supply of the main equipment, supervision of assembly, commissioning of the reverse osmosis and post-treatment systems, advice on the pre-treatment processes carried out by third parties, and operation of the plant until handover to the client. All in all, the Taweelah desalination plant meets each and every one of the drinking water parameters required by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, including hardness, alkalinity, LSI (Langelier Saturation Index), SDI (Silt density Index), pH and boron content.

Coxabengoa Group desalination portfolio

The Coxabengoa Group has once again demonstrated its capacity to develop complex projects from a technical point of view, and also to adapt to adverse working conditions in a wide range of countries, providing an optimum response to customer requirements. It has also consolidated its position as a leading company in the desalination sector worldwide and strengthened its presence in the Middle East, where it has a very extensive portfolio: in Saudi Arabia, Rabigh III (600,000 m3/day) and Shuaibah III (250,000 m3/day), all completed; Dubal (47,750 m3/day), in the United Arab Emirates, in operation; and Salalah (114,000 m3/day), in Oman, also completed.