Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA) is carrying out water and power projects worth more than AED5.2 billion, the authority said, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) on Saturday.
The largest is Sharjah’s first independent reverse osmosis desalination plant, which is under construction. It is due to reach full output of about 410,000 cubic meters of water a day in the fourth quarter of 2028 and will supply 1.4 million people, said Faisal Al Sarkal, director of SEWA’s water department.
The program also includes new transmission networks, pumping stations and reservoirs that will add 270 million gallons of storage capacity, a strategic underground water storage project, and a control room that uses artificial intelligence and geographic mapping to detect leaks across the network.
Al Sarkal set out the plans at the second edition of the Sharjah: Future Station forum, held over two days at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SPARK).
He said SEWA’s plans are aligned with the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036, which aims to cut demand for water resources by 21%, raise water productivity to $110 per cubic meter and lift the reuse of treated water to 95%. The strategy also targets two days of emergency water storage.
On the power side, Hamad Al Tunaiji, director of SEWA’s power transmission department, said smart high-voltage networks and substations had cut grid losses by 25% and faults by 40%. SEWA is also converting its high-voltage network from a ring to a meshed layout to improve connectivity and response times.
The authority said on October 25 that it had commissioned two power substations and was building 15 more at a cost of AED381.5 million.
