Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced on Tuesday that the construction of its Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant, located at the utility's Jebel Ali Power Plant and Desalination Complex, is 79 percent complete.

In 2018, DEWA had awarded an 871-million UAE dirhams contract ($237 million) for the construction of the 40 Million Imperial Gallons per Day (MIGD) capacity plant to a joint venture of Acciona Agua and Belhasa Six Construct.

In a press statement, DEWA said the main buildings and marine works are nearing completion and commissioning works have started following the successful operation of the first main power transformer.

The plant is scheduled for operation in the first quarter of 2021 to meet the reserve margin criterion set for peak water demand for 2021 and beyond, the statement noted.

It said the project supports DEWA's agenda of decoupling of water production and power generation, and using electricity generated from solar power with SWRO technology for desalination.

"By 2030, 100 percent of desalinated water would be produced by a mix of clean energy that uses both renewable energy and waste heat," the statement noted.

(Writing by Syed Ameen Kader; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@refinitiv.com)

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