Western Asia

Dh3.4m prize offered to improve water desalination – UAE

Entrepreneurs are being offered Dh3.4 million in prize money to help reduce the amount of brine produced at desalination plants.

The UAE government has combined with the private sector to launch Rethink Brine in an effort to solve the issue.

Officials hope the challenge will encourage more researchers and scientists to develop new ways to tackle the problem.

Average Palestinian consumes 87 litres of water per day – Palestine

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) and the Palestinian Meteorological Department have disclosed that the average Palestinian consumes 87.3 litres of water per day.

This rate has reached 90.5 litres per day in the West Bank, according to joint statistics issued by the three institutions, while recording an improvement in recent years following the completion of water projects that have been able to boost the water resources and reduce waste.

Currently in Gaza, the per capita share has reached 83.1 litres, with a decrease of 5.2 litres compared with last year, as a result of the population growth. This takes into account the high water pollution rates and the amount of potable water fit for human consumption, divided by the population, which equals only 22.4 litres of fresh water per capita per day.

TAQA revenue stays stable at $4.79bn in 2019 – Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), a leading global energy company with operations in 11 countries, said the total group revenues were stable at Dh17.6 billion ($4.79 billion) in 2019 (down 1% versus 2018).

It said the group had achieved strong operational performance for the year with increased production levels across its businesses: power, water, oil and gas. “This helped ensure continued financial profitability for the group for a third consecutive year, despite more challenging market conditions for the oil and gas industry,” the company said.

The net income attributable to TAQA shareholders was Dh234 million, a Dh164 million decrease year-on-year, it said.

New initiative to strengthen water desalination sector in Oman – Oman

France-headquartered resource management specialist, Veolia, has joined forces with Oman’s Sembcorp Salalah Power and Water Company, and Sohar Operation Services, to launch an apprenticeship initiative aimed at elevating the quality of talent entering Oman’s desalination sector.

The nine-month programme will include theoretical learning within a classroom environment as well as on-the-job training for Omani mechanical and electrical engineering graduates from the Sultan Qaboos University and the Salalah Technology College.

The apprenticeship programme is certified by the Ministry of Manpower in Oman and is based upon the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 4, which is UK’s work-based qualification that tests candidates on their knowledge and skills for technical and professional work-related activities.

MEDRC and USAID announces desalination innovation drive – Oman

In partnership with USAID, MEDRC has launched an international call for research proposals in a bid to spur innovation in small scale desalination technologies.

To engage the broadest possible community of researchers and innovators from across the world, MEDRC’s desalination innovation strategy has two approaches – an innovation inducement prize called the ‘Oman Humanitarian Desalination Challenge’ carrying a $700,000 cash prize, and the international research call announced today with support from USAID.

The Oman Humanitarian Desalination Challenge Prize is a joint initiative led by MEDRC and The Research Council (TRC) with funding provided by the Sultan Qaboos Higher Centre for Culture and Science. The $700,000 USD cash prize will be awarded to the team or person that delivers a hand-held, low-cost, off-grid desalination device that can be rapidly deployed in the aftermath of a humanitarian crisis.

SWPC signs project agreement for Yanbu 4 IWP with Engie-Mowah consortium – Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has signed project agreements for Yanbu 4 Independent Water Plant (IWP), a seawater desalination facility to be developed using reverse osmosis (RO) technology, with a consortium comprising of Engie, the French multinational utility group, and a local water desalination company, Mowah.

According to a statement from Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC), the RO seawater desalination plant will come up in the Badr Governorate, in the Madinah region. It will have a production capacity of 450,000 cu m/day, once complete.

Located on the Kingdom’s Red Sea coast, the new plant will feed potable water to the Makkah and Madinah regions. Yanbu-4 IWP will also include solar energy units that will reduce the electricity consumption from the grid.

GCC leading the world in water desalination efforts – Asia

The GCC is leading the world in desalination with the UAE and Saudi Arabia being market leaders, according to data published ahead of the second edition of MENA Desalination Projects Conference which will take place on March 10, 11 in Abu Dhabi.

In Oman, desalination market has been expanding by 5 per cent per year. The country has a total of nine large desalination plants, plus 47 small plants all of which supply about 86 per cent of the country’s potable water.

GCC countries have the highest global water desalination capacity of 81 per cent, producing around 40 per cent of the total world water desalination. Saudi Arabia is responsible for about one-fifth of the global production and leads the world in the volume of desalinated water it produces which makes up 50 per cent of its water consumed. The country is the largest desalination market in the world producing around 4mn m3 of desalinated water per day, and approximately US$80bn is expected to be invested in new projects over the next 10 years.

DEWA receives world’s lowest tariff of 0.306 USD for Hassyan desalination plant – UAE

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) received with world’s lowest water levelised tariff of 0.306 USD per cubic metre for its 120 Million Gallons Per Day (MIGD) Hassyan Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) Plant.

The project is DEWA’s first Independent Water Producer (IWP) model project.

DEWA has adopted the IWP procurement model for the Hassyan desalination plant following the success of the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park projects. The Project will be commissioned in August 2023. The plant will use the latest and most efficient and reliable technologies to support DEWA’s water network to ensure sustainable water supply.

GCC Countries Leading the World in Desalination with Around 40% of Total – UAE

The GCC is leading the world in desalination with the UAE and KSA being market leaders, according to data published ahead of the second edition of MENA Desalination Projects Conference taking place on 10-11 March 2020 at Jumeirah Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi.

GCC countries have the highest global water desalination capacity of 81%, producing around 40% of the total world water desalination. KSA is responsible for about one-fifth of global production and leads the world in the volume of desalinated water it produces which makes up 50% of its water consumed.

The country is the largest desalination market in the world producing around 4 million cubic meters of desalinated water per day, and approximately $80 bn is expected to be invested in new projects over the next 10 years.

Oman Humanitarian Desalination Challenge 2020 kicks off – Oman

MUSCAT, FEB 23 – MEDRC announced on Sunday the opening of team registration for this year’s Oman Humanitarian Desalination Challenge Prize Competition.

The Competition is a global water prize that looks to award $700,000 to the person or team that can invent a small, cheap and easy to use desalination device that would enable people in emergency situations to single handedly purify salty or contaminated water to a safe drinking standard.

Today’s announcement comes after MEDRC has completed the screening process for all of the 2019 entries and officially declared that no winning device has been found.

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