Abu Dhabi will invite bids for a new independent water and power project (IWPP), its ninth facility, by September as the emirate boosts capacity to meet rising demand, two sources said on Wednesday.
The emirate’s top decision making body, the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, last month approved Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Authority’s (ADWEA) plan to build a new IWPP at Mirfa, about 160 km along the coast from the UAE’s capital city.
“Advisors for the project will be appointed first and the process of prequalifying companies will start in about three to four months,” a source at the state-owned utility told Reuters.
Power generation capacity at Mirfa will be at least 1500 MW and the desalination plant will produce about 60m gallons per day. Mirfa has an existing plant that produces about 250 MW of power and 34 mgpd of water.
“The existing plants are likely to be removed because they are not reliable,” said a second source. Both sources declined to be named as the information is not yet public.
Currently, Abu Dhabi produces some 9000-plus MW of power from its eight IWPPs, most of which is consumed within the emirate and about 22 percent exported to the northern emirates, according to latest Adwea statistics.
Abu Dhabi’s peak electricity demand last year was 7683 MW, up 12 percent on the previous year. Demand is forecast to grow at 11.3 percent annually in Abu Dhabi up to 2015.
Abu Dhabi is also exploring other forms of energy including solar, wind and nuclear. The first nuclear power plant is scheduled to be operational in 2017.
Previously, firms including Japan’s Marubeni, International Power, GDF-Suez have built power plants in Abu Dhabi.
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