The UAE plans to build a 139 million dirham ($38 million) water desalination plant in Ajman, the UAE emirate where real estate projects have suffered delays because of water and electricity shortages.The Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA) on Sunday signed a contract with a consortium of UAE-based Tecton Engineering and Aqua Engineering of Austria to build the plant.
Tecton Managing Director S. Lakshmanan said the plant, located in the Al-Zawrah area, will have a capacity to produce 7 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD) of water.
“Ajman requires 18 MIGD of water currently. There will be a huge growth in consumption when buildings and towers under construction are completed in the next five years,” Lakshmanan told Maktoob Business in a telephone interview.
Ajman has two operating desalination plans of 6 MIGD capacity, one of which was built by the Tecton-Aqua consortium a year ago in Al-Zawrah, while the remaining water comes from underground sources.
For the new project, the consortium’s work includes design, manufacture, supply, construction and commissioning of the plant on a turnkey basis, Lakshmanan said.
Ajman, which lacks the financial resources of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, has faced increasing water and power shortages due to a rapid increase in construction activity on the back of the UAE-wide property boom.
The shortages have forced building owners to use power generators and water tankers to provide electricity and water to their tenants.
FEWA manages utility supplies in Ajman, Ras Al-Khaimah, Fujairah, Umm Al-Quwain and the Dhaid area of Sharjah. Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah have dedicated utility bodies.