Desalination plants
The UAE has limited natural water resources. It uses thermal desalination as the dominant technology to make seawater potable. Today, most of the country's potable water (42 per cent of the total water requirement) comes from some 70 major desalination plants, which account for around 14 per cent of the world's total production of desalinated water.
Due to lack of freshwater sources, it is important for the UAE to identify a sustainable desalination solution to meet long-term water needs. Connecting desalination technologies to renewable energy is one solution.
The water consumed in the UAE is mainly desalinated, dependent on electricity in case of reverse osmosis, or a by-product of electricity generation through multiple-effect distillation (MED) and multiple-stage flash distillation (MSF).
According to State of Energy Report 2015, the demand for water grew largely at a rate of 35.8 percent from 2008 to 2012. The installed capacity for desalinated and groundwater reached 1,585 million imperial gallons per day, while water production was 393,878 million imperial gallons per year.
Some of the desalination plants in the UAE include:
- Shuweihat S2 power and water plant in Abu Dhabi: It has a production capacity of 1510 Mega Watt (MW) of electricity and 100 Million Imperial Gallons (MIGD) of water per day
- Jebel Ali power station in Dubai: It is the largest power and desalination plant in the UAE, with six gas turbines capable of producing 2060 MW and 140 MIGD of water.
- F2 Plant in Fujairah: It is a greenfield power generation and seawater desalination plant with 2850 MW of power capacity and 230 MIGD of water.
Dams
Dams in the UAE include:
- Wadi Al Beeh dam (Length: 575 metres, height: 18 metres)
The dam is located in the northern part of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) in Al Beeh Wadi. It is constructed to feed the underground water. It supplies water to Al Burairat and Al Hamraniya in RAK.
- Wadi Ghalfa dam (Length: 235 metres, height: 8 metres)
The dam is located in the Masfout region in Wadi Ghalfa, a middle agricultural region and is constructed to feed the underground water.
- Wadi Wareaa dam (Length: 367 metres, height: 33 metres)
The dam is located in the eastern agricultural region of the UAE, Wadi Wareaa. It slopes from Masafi hill and pours into Gulf of Oman. It is constructed to feed the groundwater and protect the area from floods. It feeds the areas of Al Badiya and Khor Fakkan.
- Wadi Basira dam (Length: 885 metres, height: 8 metres)
The dam is located in the eastern agricultural region of the UAE, in Wadi Basira. It is constructed to feed the groundwater areas in Dibba and protect the area from floods.
- Wadi Ham dam (Length: 2800 metres, height: 16 metres)
It is located in the eastern region of the UAE in Fujairah and is constructed to feed the underground water, protect the area from floods and enhance water quality. The dam feeds the local areas in Fujairah and Kalba.
- Wadi Azan dam (Length: 110 metres, height: 10 metres)
It is considered as a small dam which impounds water and mitigates its speed. It is located in the northern agricultural region in Wadi Azan and constructed to feed the underground water. It feeds Azan and Al Hamraniyah areas.
- Wadi Al Ghail dam (Length: 26 metres, height: 4.5 metres)
It is located in the northern region in Wadi Al Ghail. It is constructed to supply irrigation water for Al Ghail area and feed the underground water.
Find a list of dams in the UAE (Excel, 500 KB).
Updated on:
25 Aug 2026
