Abu Dhabi has invited international firms to express their interest in building one of the world’s biggest water desalination plants as authorities in the UAE’s capital look to increase capacity in order to meet rising demand.
Estimated to cost between $600 million and $1.2 billion, the plant will have a capacity of 200 million gallons per day, said Adil al-Saeedi, acting director of privatisation at the Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Authority (ADWEA), in a Reuters report.
Companies are likely to be prequalified by the second quarter of 2018, while a developer will be selected by the third quarter of the year, he added. 
The chosen developer will own up to 40% of a special purpose vehicle that will sign a long-term agreement with ADWEA to sell water. The authority will directly or indirectly own the rest of the equity in the project.
The UAE capital currently has a water production capacity of around 960 million gallons per day from 10 desalination plants.
