Desalination Can Go A Long Way If Linked With Renewable Energy: Naseem Zaya | |
Staff Writer |
Irrigation accounts for a large share of the world's water use. Cultivation of vegetables and crops is rapidly expanding, however, neither groundwater nor surface water is easily accessible in the GCC region. So, desalination is the primary method of producing cheap and drinkable water to meet the needs of various communities. Water produced by desalination can be reduced by the utilization of polished treated sewage effluent (TSE). Such water can be used for irrigation, district cooling makeup etc.
The Middle East, especially the GCC is making significant strides towards introducing water recycling, particularly wastewater, which will result in long-term sustainability. This represents a form of waterfront circular economy.
Meanwhile, there have been growing numbers of initiatives to cut back on water use. Several campaigns, advertisements, and other methods have been implemented, particularly in the irrigation system. As a result, the region as a whole and specific countries like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are supporting these efforts thereby reducing water consumption successfully
While it's true that the average amount of water used per person has decreased, this is offset by the increased demand for water use by developments and rapidly expanding communities, including water parks and forms of advanced sanitation.
Shedding some more light on the subject, Naseem Zaya, Executive Director - Techno commercial (water & WtE) at ACWA Power stated, “Over the course of seven or eight months out of the year, we experience warmer climate. So, the overall water use for irrigation is quite high. Henceforth, significant efforts have been made to reduce water consumption. Therefore, the issues have been effectively met, and the availability of water poses no concern.”
Adding further, he stated, “Thanks for several independent water projects (IWP) which resulted in an abundance of water in UAE, KSA, Oman etc. Especially in Dubai, DEWA has managed water production and distribution in such a nice way that water shortages aren’t seen.”
“Currently, there are a few problems with the water supply in GCC. We have built own and operate several plants in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Bahrain etc which operates and deliver potable water at high availability.”
“We are also receiving projects from countries that are establishing their water infrastructure. And recently, we inked a water purchase agreement for a desalination plant that uses reverse osmosis technology to purify salt water (Rabigh 04 IWP 600,000 m3/d).”
“These projects will secure the water supply towards Makkah and Medina, so countries like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait are cautiously developing new projects. They use concession / BOO/ BOT/ BOOT model developed by private developers like us.”
“We are also working closely with the industrial sector, including Saudi Aramco and other industries. To meet the water requirements of various industries, we will be offering a concession for desalination. We do not foresee any problems with the current regional practice of desalination and water conservation,” Zaya added further.
Renewable Energy And Occupational Programme
“Desalination plants typically operate with grid electricity produced by either heavy fuel oil (HFO) or natural gas (NG). Electricity accounts for the main expenditure and also impacts the environment as carbon emission.”
“As a result, we have put forth effort into developing and engineering renewable-energy-powered reverse-osmosis plant for desalinating seawater. Our R&D department is also helping us to achieve these goals.”
“We have also worked with several Saudi government organisations to produce potable water using renewable energy sources. The advent of renewable energy to produce desalinated water will be a major step forward, as renewable energy is also cost-effective compared to the energy produced by fossil fuels. In addition, renewable energy (PV, Wind etc) reduced the carbon emissions to the environment,” said Zaya.
With the presence of renewable energy in the desalination process, water tariff is expected to go down, making it cost-effective for the masses.
“To power the seawater RO plant, we looked into using a mix of renewable solar PV and wind, either in conjunction with the battery energy storage system or the grid,” informed Zaya.
“Some of our assets are partially powered by solar PV energy. The water industry hopes to see SWRO plant, which can be powered by renewable energy in the coming future.”
“And while we know that solar PV will only create electricity during the day, there are concepts where one can operate for shorter periods, store the water, and then pump. It has been proposed that one may collect and store water during the day, then pump it during the night to meet demand. However, with the help of the grid (or battery) energy storage system, we can continue to generate even at night,” continued Zaya.
There are numerous ongoing investigations focused on desalination processes and to make it affordable to the masses. A comprehensive plan is being developed in collaboration with PIFs. In future, desalination facilities will likely need to run on renewable energy, reducing the electricity component, which accounts for more than 40 percent of the cost of a desalination facility today in KSA.
Another misconception is that desalinated water is highly expensive due to its high energy requirements. However, after achieving high energy efficiency within the SWRO plant and with the transition from conventional energy to renewable energy, this will be less expensive and less harmful to the environment.
NEOM, a megacity, is developing a desalination and zero liquid discharge system that will be powered entirely by renewable energy. The hydrogen plant that Neom, ACWA and Air Products are developing is also powered by renewable energy.
“We coordinate with a wide range of local actors to make this a reality. The time has come to begin planning for a future in which desalination will become cost-effective and even irrigation and agricultural water will be produced by this method,” said Zaya.
Digitisation As A Catalyst
“To make up for this advanced degree of digitization, we have some ambitious objectives. Therefore, the overall water expenses have decreased as a result of the reduction in electrical consumption, chemical use, manpower requirements, and water usage. This is all due to the introduction of digitalization with the nature of data accuracy data sharing that contribute to its high availability,” said Zaya.
While digitalisation is the future of desalination, ACWA Power has already implemented it in a few assets, with positive results in terms of plant performance (in terms of availability, reliability, chemical consumption, specific power consumption, and everything else). The company's efforts in the water and electricity sectors have yielded encouraging results so far, and its initiatives will lead to growth in the water business as well as wider access to affordable water for the public.
Managing Wastewater Is Key
Although there were obstacles to wastewater collection and treatment initially, today, many wastewater treatment plants have since been built. After hearing this, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia approved many standalone independent sewage treatment plants (ISTP).
“The Saudi government is pushing through with plans to construct numerous new sewage treatment plants alongside the country's ageing sewage treatment facilities. Now, a wide variety of wastewater treatment plants and household sewage collection networks are currently under construction around the country,” stated Zaya.
Things in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Kuwait are very similar. The concession is not too common in the wastewater industry in the United Arab Emirates or relatively in Oman, but municipalities are building them on an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis. They either own and operate these STPs or give them to other O&M companies. However, many sewage treatment plants have been coming up, and many piping networks have been coming up, particularly in Dubai.
“The water demand for district cooling in Dubai is relatively significant, particularly in the summer when the temperature rises to a point where subcritical district cooling is necessary.”
“Treated sewage effluent is used as makeup for district cooling plant (DCP) within Dubai which saves a lot of water consumption. Previously potable water used as makeup to DCP.”
“The government's backing or the privatisation of the wastewater construction industry has helped the sector overcome obstacles to its rapid expansion. The availability of drinkable water supplies has expanded alongside advances in water recycling, and several new desalination plants are on the horizon as well,” told Zaya.
When Naseem Zaya isn't assessing work on water-related issues, he spends as much quality time as possible with his family.