Xylem Inc has won a contract to provide a dissolved air flotation (DAF) pretreatment system for the Fujairah 1 Independent Water & Power Plant (IWPP) in the UAE to help ensure an uninterrupted potable water supply from the desalination plant to Abu Dhabi emirate and the east coast.
The source seawater in the Gulf of Oman is subject to harmful aquatic algal blooms, known as red tides, that contain large concentrations of potentially toxic microorganisms. Xylem’s Leopold® Clari‑DAF® system is more than 95% effective in removing these microorganisms prior to desalination ensuring the production of clean, fresh drinking water.
Fujairah 1 IWPP is owned by Emirates Sembcorp Water & Power Company, a joint venture between Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, Sembcorp Industries and Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Authority.
The new system will have a capacity of 136,000 m³/d (reverse osmosis (RO) output) to accommodate an anticipated 15% increase in the population by 2016. It will serve both the existing and new seawater RO plants, which have a combined capacity of 306,760 m³/d and will be one of the world’s largest operating desalination plants.
“Xylem’s pretreatment desalination expertise has been instrumental at the Shuwaikh Seawater RO desalination plant in Kuwait and their involvement was critical for us to win this Fujairah contract,” said Jesus Sancho, international engineering contractor responsible for the team of companies that won the contract.