China’s Middle East investment ‘pivot’ highlighted by mega UAE desalination plant
- China-built Taweelah Independent Water Plant in Abu Dhabi is capable of producing 900,000 cubic metres (238 million gallons) of fresh water per day by reverse osmosis
- China is seeking closer integration with the energy-rich Middle East through its Belt and Road Initiative amid ongoing geopolitical tensions
China’s shift towards the Middle East continued as the subsidiary of a state-owned firm completed testing of a desalination plant in the United Arab Emirates last week, with the project capable of delivering up to 900,000 cubic metres (238 million gallons) of fresh water per day.
The US$900 million Taweelah Independent Water Plant in Abu Dhabi was constructed by Shandong Electric Power Construction Corporation III (SEPCO3), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Power Construction Corporation of China (Power China).
PowerChina, having signed the deal to build the plant in 2019, claimed it is the world’s largest operational membrane-driven desalination facility.
Reverse osmosis involves applying pressure to push seawater through a semi-permeable membrane to remove salt and impurities to produce drinking water.
“[The project] has considerably eased the UAE’s constraints on freshwater resources, and benefited people’s livelihoods, the local economy, and social development in the country,” said PowerChina, who added the project could benefit nearly one million people a year.