UAE’s Shuweihat 4 Desalination Project reaches $444 Million Financial Closing
Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA) alongside GS Inima, and Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC)announced the successful financial closing of the AED 1.6 billion (USD 444 million) low-carbon intensive Shuweihat 4 Reverse Osmosis Seawater Desalination Project (S4 RO).
The project is primarily funded (71%) through debt financing from both local and international banks, including Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB), Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD), KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH (KFW) and The Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM). The S4 RO financial closing comes after TAQA and GS Inima signed the water purchase agreement with EWEC in August 2023.
S4 RO is TAQA’s second utility-scale reverse osmosis plant to reach financial close in 2023 and the second major reverse osmosis project awarded by EWEC this year, following the Mirfa 2 Reverse Osmosis Seawater Desalination Project in H1 2023.
Located within the Shuweihat Power and Water Complex, S4 RO will supply up to 70 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD) of potable water, equivalent to approximately 320,000 cubic metres per day, significantly enhancing the security of water supply in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Commercial operations are expected to commence in Q2 2026, with EWEC procuring water supplied by the S4 RO plant for 30 years.
The S4 RO project is 60% owned by TAQA and 40% by GS Inima. Both companies will also take on the operations and maintenance (O&M) of the plant, with 60% of the O&M company owned by GS Inima and 40% by TAQA.