Saudi-Listed ACWA Power Inks Deal With SEWA For Sharjah's First Independent Water Project

Sharjah's first Independent Water Project (IWP) is all set to be developed by Saudi-based ACWA Power and Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA) as part of their deal signed Wednesday.

The project aims to provide more drinking water to meet the growing needs of the emirate. The Hamriyah IWP will use seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) technology to turn seawater into fresh water.

Director General of SEWA Abdullah Abdul Rahman Al Shamsi said this project deal is aligned with the plan to develop the water sector system in the Emirate of Sharjah.

"It is considered one of the largest investments in water at the emirate level, utilizing the latest technologies. The new plant will operate using the reverse osmosis system for water desalination and includes the latest post-treatment, filtration, and disinfection technologies," he was quoted as saying by WAM.

"The project will increase water production capacity, adding a storage capacity of 90 million gallons, in addition to consuming no more than 3.2 kilowatts per hour to produce one cubic meter of water," he added.

According to the schedule, the plant will produce about 272,000 cubic meters of desalinated water each day by the second quarter of 2027. When the plant becomes fully operational by the third quarter of 2028, it will produce 410,000 cubic meters of water daily - enough to supply drinking water for 1.4 million people.

Marco Arcelli, Chief Executive Officer of ACWA Power, said this deal marks the company's eighth project in the UAE, covering both electricity and water projects.

"This project reinforces ACWA Power's indisputable global leadership in water desalination, and we look forward to bringing our extensive experience in low-carbon intensive RO desalination to the emirate of Sharjah, providing an end-to-end solution to meet the growing demand for clean and affordable water," Arcelli added.

The signing of the project took place just one day after Sharjah Airport welcomed the first flights from Saudi airline "Flynas" to the list of airlines with regular flights to and from Sharjah in the UAE.

Flynas will now operate seven weekly flights from Jeddah to Sharjah Airport and two weekly flights from Madinah to Sharjah using its Boeing 737 aircraft.