SEWA unveils strategic energy, water projects worth over Dhs5.2b

Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA) has announced a series of strategic projects worth more than Dhs5.2 billion to support the energy and water sectors, as part of plans outlined during the second "Sharjah: Future Station" forum.

 The two-day forum, held under the theme "From Lab to Market," recently concluded at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SPARK).

During the forum's panel discussions, Eng. Faisal Al Sarkal, Director of the Water Department at SEWA, said the authority's plans to meet growing demand aligned with the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036.

 The strategy aims to reduce demand for water resources by 21 per cent, increase water productivity to $110 per cubic metre, lower the water scarcity index by three points and raise the reuse of treated water to 95 percent.

It also seeks to provide two days of emergency water storage capacity and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 100 million tonnes.

Al Sarkal said the projects include the construction of Sharjah's first independent reverse osmosis desalination plant, with a production capacity of 410,000 cubic metres per day by the fourth quarter of 2028, supplying water to 1.4 million people.

 Other projects include upgrading transmission networks, pumping stations and reservoirs to add 270 million gallons of storage capacity, implementing astrategic underground water storage project and monitoring networks through a control room using artificial intelligence (AI) and geographic information systems (GIS) to reduce water losses.

 Hamad Al Tunaiji, Director of the Power Transmission Department at SEWA, said the authority had successfully deployed advanced technologies to prepare electricity networks for the integration of clean energy through four main initiatives.

These include innovative solutions for reactive power management and the operation of smart high-voltage networks and substations, which have reduced grid losses by 25 percent and faults by 40 percent while maintaining efficiency across different energy sources and loads without manual intervention.

 The initiatives also involve converting high-voltage networks from a ring to a meshed configuration to improve connectivity, enhance safety and ensure faster responses to operational challenges, alongside implementing smart substation systems to streamline electricity transmission and distribution.

 WAM