A joint venture between Arabian Construction Company (ACC) and Posco Engineering & Construction Company (Posco E&C) has won a Dh1.6 billion ($435.5 million) water project from Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Authority (Adwea).

The strategic water storage and recovery contract project has been awarded to the JV by Adwea in conjunction with the Environmental Agency of Abu Dhabi, said a statement from ACC.

The project, which involves the engineering, procurement and construction of the strategic water storage and recovery system to be built in Liwa, Abu Dhabi, is the first of its kind in the Middle East, the company stated.

It will consist of an underground aquifer storage facility with a capacity of 27 million tons of water being built 85 metres below ground in the Liwa desert for use “in the event of a water emergency,” said a top official.

“ACC is honoured to have been awarded this highly innovative new project; a first of its kind in the region,” said ACC director, Wassim Merhebi.

“Due to its complexity and size, this project will certainly be a great addition to ACC’s growing portfolio of mega projects across the region,” he remarked.

On the contract win, Posco E&C’s UAE general manager, SK Park said, “This is our first project in Abu Dhabi and we are proud to be taking part in such an innovative and strategic initiative.”

The project - set to be constructed 250 km south west of Abu Dhabi - is based on an infiltration basin/recovery well system known as aquifer storage and recovery, which features water pipe lines, HV transmission lines, pump stations and a Scada system.

The government's goal, said Merhebi, was to be able to supply the city with 40 million imperial gallons of water per day (MIGD) for up to 90 days in the unfortunate event of a water emergency.

In the event of a water emergency, all water stored at the facility can be made available for pumping to Abu Dhabi City through a system of pumping stations and 161km of new pipeline that will connect to an existing pipeline system situated along the E11 highway, explained Merhebi.

“The facility will ensure that a complex regime of testing and analysis of the infiltrated water is undergone before the water is made available for recovery,” he added.

According to him, the project is set to begin in September and will take approximately 30 months to complete.-TradeArabia News Service