Ras al-Khaimah (RAK) based private utility Utico and Spain’s Grupo Cobra plan a Dh719mn ($196mn) desalination plant at Al-Hamra. The 60:40 JV partners say theirs will be the world’s largest privately financed desalination plant, with capacity to desalinate 100,000 m3/day of water and store 450,000 m3. Construction will begin next month, with first desalination scheduled for June 2017 and full-scale operation in 2018. Utico says water will initially be provided to RAK and nearby areas and to other parts of the UAE as output increases.
“The facility will be state-of-the-art and will have one of the lowest power consumptions in the region,” Utico MD Richard Menezes says. Desalination plants typically consume 3-8kWh/m3, depending on technology, suggesting that this plant will require a 12.5MW power supply. (CONTINUED - 276 WORDS)
