SUEZ, TAQA, and Siemens join forces for innovative desalination project in the UAE

SUEZ, TAQA, and Siemens have signed an MoU to collaborate on the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, a global competition aimed at developing innovative desalination technologies for sustainable and affordable water access in emerging countries.

The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative is a five-year competition designed to transform desalination methods, materials, and systems. The goal is to promote widespread desalination that supports socio-economic equity and environmental sustainability. Participants will be required to build pilot desalination units, followed by an industrial demonstration unit.

Under the MoU, TAQA, Suez, and Siemens will form an international team to create a cost-effective and energy-efficient desalination solution. The project aims to optimise energy use and reduce costs, making desalination more accessible to countries facing water scarcity.

Further research needed

SUEZ, with 50 years of desalination experience and more than 260 plants built globally, will bring its R&D expertise to the partnership. The company has extensive experience in the Middle East and operates some of the world’s largest desalination plants, including Victoria State's facility in Australia and a reverse osmosis plant in Jordan.

Sabrina Soussan, chairman and CEO of SUEZ, stated, "We are delighted to participate in this competition, an important initiative that promotes anticipation and international cooperation to contribute to water security and resilience in emerging countries. SUEZ’s participation underlines our commitment to developing more affordable and sustainable water supply technologies. I would like to thank our partners, TAQA Group and Siemens for their trust and wish all the teams involved every success!"

TAQA, one of the largest producers of desalinated water in the UAE with a capacity exceeding 1,250 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD), brings significant expertise to the initiative. The company is also a major stakeholder in the Taweelah Reverse Osmosis Independent Water Plant, one of the largest reverse osmosis plants globally, with a capacity of 200 MIGD.

Farid Al Awlaqi, chief executive officer, generation at TAQA, remarked, "We must address the global water scarcity crisis by collaborating with companies and organisations and fast-tracking innovative solutions to address these issues faced by too many people and communities across the globe. As the largest producer of desalinated water in the UAE, TAQA is committed to producing and delivering potable water that is as energy-efficient as possible by adopting innovative desalination technologies combined with cleaner energy sources. We are delighted to join forces with Suez and Siemens, international leaders in the water and energy sectors, to compete for this prize."