ADWEC MD Predicts Decoupling Of Power And Water

The managing director of Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Company (ADWEC) has predicted that water and power generation in the UAE will be separated in the future as the result of new technology.

Speaking at the IWPP event in Dubai this morning, H. E. Mohammed Bin Jarsh laid out four predictions for the future, which also included a shift to water membrane technology for water production and increasing solar power and combined cycle gas generation.

“The introduction of nuclear power and the increasing cost competitiveness of solar power, which we have seen over the past five years, has the potential for efficient decoupling of power and water production,” he said.

The prediction adds to a regional shift of independent water projects decoupled from power generation.

Membrane technology like Reverse Osmosis (RO), an alternative cheaper, less energy intensive solution that can be positioned anywhere along a country’s coast, are increasingly being explored.

In many countries in the region there is a huge power capacity serving high seasonal demand in the summer, making steady water production using thermal power plant technology expensive and inefficient.