ABU DHABI // The emirate's production of desalinated water is to increase by a third by 2012, a senior water executive said yesterday. Projects in Shuweihat and Fujairah, which have been awarded to contractors, will help achieve the boost, said Dr Najib Dandachi, network services director at the Abu Dhabi Transmission and Despatch Company (Transco). The two new power and water plants, known as S2 and F2, will be added to the facilities at the two locations.
In 2007, capacity in the emirate was 637 million gallons a day but will reach 864 million gallons a day in 2012, Mr Dandachi said. Transco is a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority, which is already planning more facilities at the two sites. The UAE has the highest per capita water consumption in the world, with per capita use estimated at 550 litres. Mr Dandachi said despite plans to increase production, the company was encouraging conservation to ensure that water supplies met the demands of the growing population.
"The need for conservation is there and should be pursued irrespective of whether we are building the stations to produce water," he said. The emirate's need for water is expected to increase greatly by 2020 as development projects in the city near completion and add an estimated three million to the population. Mr Dandachi said conservation could help solve the limitations of the desalination technology.
Most of the emirate's power and water plants operate on a combined-cycle principle. Excess heat generated by electricity production produces steam for desalination units, which make seawater potable. The problem is that because of air conditioning, the need for electricity fluctuates significantly depending on the time of year. "In winter, power demand is 30 per cent of the summer peak, yet we still have to produce 100 per cent of the water throughout the year," Mr Dandachi said.
Mr Dandachi was addressing an audience at WaterTech 2008, a conference in Dubai. vtodorova@thenational.ae Editorial, page a29