Shuweihat S1 IWPP
Thermal MSF + power, 100 MIGD (about 455,000 m3/day); six MSF units of 16.6 MIGD each; TRANSCO records 101 MIGD gross in United Arab Emirates.
Operational
The record
- Country
- United Arab Emirates
- Location
- Shuweihat, Al Dhafra
- Coordinates
- 24.166, 52.568
- Technology
- Thermal MSF + power
- Capacity
- 100 MIGD (about 455,000 m3/day); six MSF units of 16.6 MIGD each; TRANSCO records 101 MIGD gross
- Capital cost
- US$1.6 billion
- Stage
- Operational
- Owner or client
- Shuweihat CMS International Power Company (TAQA 60%, Sumitomo 20%, Engie 20%); ADWEA 60% with CMS Energy and International Power 40% at financial close
- Developer
- CMS Energy / International Power
- Contractor
- Siemens (US$895 million EPC) and Fisia Italimpianti (US$500 million desalination contract)
- Operator
- Shuweihat O&M Company (Sumitomo 50%, Engie 50%)
- Finance
- Project finance on a build-own-operate-transfer basis; US$1.285 billion loan from 25 institutions including a US$250 million Islamic tranche, plus an equity bridge of about US$351 million
- Award or start year
- 2001
- Commissioned
- 2005
Record last checked 2026-10-16.
History
- 2001-12
Financial close, the largest project financing in the region at the time
- 2005
Project commercial operation at 1,500 MW and 100 MIGD
- 2025-06
Twenty-year power and water purchase agreement expires
Sources
12 references
Every field in the record above is taken from the references below. A field that none of them confirms prints as a dash.
- WaterWorld, Largest MSF units to operate at Shuweihat (1 April 2002). waterworld.com.
- Financial closure December 2001 on a US$1.6 billion project; 1,500 MW and 100 MIGD on a BOOT basis; EPC contracts of US$895 million with Siemens and US$500 million with Fisia Italimpianti; described as the world's largest MSF facility; a 120 MIGD water pumping station operated by TRANSCO. Gulf News, Shuweihat S1 ties up funds in mega deal. gulfnews.com.
- US$1.285 billion loan from 25 institutions with a US$250 million Islamic tranche and a US$351 million equity bridge, project cost about US$1.6 billion; the page carries an automated later timestamp, the report itself dates from the 2001 financial close.
- Engie Middle East, Shuweihat 1 asset fact sheet (2024). engiemiddleeast.com.
- Owner SCIPCO, TAQA 60%, Sumitomo 20%, Engie 20%, PCOD 2005, 1,500 MW and 100 MIGD, CCGT with MSF, PWPA to June 2025. TRANSCO, 2019 Seven Year Water Planning Statement (2020-2026), June 2019, Table 4.3 Existing Production Plant Site and Capacities by Technology. saudigulfprojects.com.
- Gross 101 MIGD MSF. EWEC has extended the power purchase agreement by fifteen years under a plan to decommission the desalination side and convert the plant to open-cycle gas.
- No dated confirmation of the desalination shutdown has been published, so the stage is unchanged.
- International Power, Form 20-F for 2001, filed 30 April 2002. sec.gov.
- Shuweihat is being jointly developed with CMS Energy.
- Gulf News, Special Report: Abu Dhabi power privatisation shows the way ahead, 8 September 2001. gulfnews.com.
- The CMS Energy-National Power alliance was selected for Shuweihat-1. Power Engineering, CMS Energy and International Power complete $1.6 billion financing for Abu Dhabi's largest power and water project, 4 December 2001 (CMS Energy release of 3 December 2001). power-eng.com.
- MENA Water Review major projects register and PPP pipeline — compiled from procurer publications, development-bank project pages and trade reporting; each record names its source.
CMS Energy and International Power together own 40 percent of the project on a 50/50 basis, with ADWEA holding the remaining 60 percent.