The International Desalination Association awarded Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) the Presidential Award for its pioneering work to introduce large-scale independent water and power projects in the UAE. The award also recognises the UK consultancy Mott MacDonald for its role on the Taweelah 50-migd reverse osmosis (RO) project, which as one of the largest RO plants in the Gulf constitutes a breakthrough in desalination technology.
ADWEA implemented the largest multi-stage flash units at Taweelah B2 and Al-Shuweihat, and demonstrated large-scale application of multiple-effect desalination (MED) technology in Al Taweelah A1, the first independent water and power project in the Gulf and lenders engineer for the Al-Shuweihat project. For the Taweelah RO project, Mott MacDonald was engaged as technical advisor to ADWEA providing minimum functional specifications, pilot plant supervision and bidder evaluation services. The preferred bidder was selected in September 2003.
The award commended ADWEA for its achievements in adopting the concept of using idle power capacity to help sustainable development and reduce the cost of desalinated water in the Gulf. Mott MacDonald was commended for the technical excellence of its services on the Taweelah RO project.
Dr. Corrado Somariva, Mott MacDonald's head of desalination won the Best Presentation Award for his article "Meeting the challenge of large RO plant in the Middle East," which describes the innovative concepts proposed to introduce RO technology and further reduce the costs of potable water in the Gulf area.
