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With Abu Dhabi’s population currently forecasted to exceed five million by 2030, the Emirate’s demand for potable water is expected to double. In order to address this rapidly growing demand, Abu Dhabi is investing in wastewater reuse and wastewater recycling projects to ensure the sustainability of its water supply.
The Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company (ADSSC) is currently undertaking an extensive expansion of its collection network including the strategic tunnel engineering project (STEP). This multi-billion dirham programme of work will deliver wastewater collection capacity which is expected to be sufficient to meet anticipated growth in the coming decades.
Alan Thomson, Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company, will be providing a keynote address and an update on the progress of STEP at the upcoming WaterWorld Middle East Conference and Exhibition (WWME).
“In the past, both in the region and around the globe, water deficits have been met by just adding additional desalination capacity into the mix,” said Tom Freyberg, Conference Director for WaterWorld Middle East. “A cheaper alternative that helps bridge the gap between demand and supply is water reuse. One of the goals of our conference is to introduce decision makers in the region to leading water reuse-related technologies that will not only save investment dollars but will directly contribute towards the protection of the local environment.”
As wastewater reuse and water recycling will be a key theme during WWME, the conference will host a session on “Wastewater Reuse Technologies” that will focus on case studies associated with moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR), ultraviolet (UV) treatment and reed bed technology.
The most effective, efficient and environmentally-friendly technology associated with desalination will also be reviewed at the conference. Although there is a commitment from several countries in the region to focus on water reuse, a total of 39 million cubic meters a day of desalination capacity is expected to be added between 2010 and 2020. This represents an approximate investment of between USD 40-50 billion, and the recognized need to ensure a stable water supply while additional water recovery capacity comes online.
WaterWorld Middle East will have two conference sessions on desalination - “Thermal Desalination Energy Optimisation” and “Membrane Operational Improvements.”
“With GCC countries looking to invest $130 billion over the next decade to meet future water demand and introduce new measures to best project limited water resources, now is the time to review the supply mix and determine the most energy and environmentally efficient way forward to ensure demand is met,” said Tom Freyberg. “Waterworld Middle East will enable Abu Dhabi to showcase its numerous water management-related projects to demonstrate its commitment to technological innovation and to share learned best practices with the rest of the industry.”
The WaterWorld Middle East Conference and Exhibition will run in tandem with POWER-GEN Middle East from 12 to 14 October at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). The event will bring together the region’s leading plant owners and operators, consultants, utilities, investors and academics, with representatives of over 80 companies from 30 countries.
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