The UAE’s Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA) has received 14 bids for pre-qualification for a desalination project in Umm Al Quwain, reports The National.
The project to design, build, finance, and operate a 45 million imperial gallons a day (205,000 m3/d) plant, over 25 years, marks a step toward more private finance entering the water business in UAE.
FEWA expects to announce the winner of the contract in February 2017, and for work to complete by 2020.
The facility will be in the north of Umm Al Quwain, on the border with Ras Al Khaimah, and is intended to help enhance water capacity and preserve underground water resources across UAE.
The Federal Electricity and Water Authority is also reportedly building four other plants across the emirates in Ajman, Fujairah, and Umm Al Quwain.