Veolia secures USD 320 mn contract for Hassyan plant: French waste and water management company Veolia’s smart desalination subsidiary Sidem secured a USD 320 mn agreement to engineer and provide technology for the solar-powered Hassyan water desalination project in Dubai, according to a press release. The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) and Saudi renewable energy giant Acwa Power recently reached financial close on the AED 3.4 bn (USD 925.8 mn) plant which is scheduled to start operations in 2026 and reach full capacity in 2027.

About the project: The plant — which is set to produce 180 mn imperial gallons per day — is “the world’s second largest desalination plant based on reverse osmosis technology in, and the largest desalination plant powered by solar energy,” the statement said, adding that the firm’s desalination system will have an exceptionally low energy consumption rate of 2.9 kWh per cbm. Acwa Power holds a 20.4% stake in the project, which will ensure safe drinking water for 2 mn people.

Veolia is active in the region: A JV made up of Veolia and Oman’s Nama Power and Water Procurement Company recently signed an agreement with TotalEnergies to build a 17 MW solar project aimed at powering Veolia’s Sur desalination plant. Turkish packaging manufacturer Sarten Ambalaj and Enova — a JV between Majid Al Futtaim and Veolia — partnered to install turn-key solar PV products on five of Sarten’s facilities in Turkey in February.

Its not Sidem’s first venture in the region either: Veolia’s subsidiary Sidem was tapped to lead a consortium tasked with the engineering, procurement, and construction of the AED 2.3 bn low-carbon Mirfa 2 Reverse Osmosis desalination plant in UAE last June.

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