Desalination units with a combined capacity of 15,000 cubic metres per day donated by the United Arab Emirates will be installed in Limassol and Paphos, with priority given to Paphos which faces more severe water supply problems.
The mobile units will be donated by the UAE’s National Energy Company (TAQA), according to philenews sources.
Following the destruction of the desalination plant in Kouklia, authorities expedited procedures for mobile desalination units, as the damaged facility is not expected to resume operations until late August.
The donated units will be distributed with 5,000 cubic metres daily capacity installed in Paphos and 10,000 cubic metres in Limassol, addressing water supply problems that would have been covered by four planned mobile desalination units.
According to the Water Development Department’s plans, three mobile units are scheduled for Limassol and one for Paphos.
In Limassol, one unit is planned for the Garyllis area to process well water, a second at the Electricity Authority of Cyprus power plant in Moni, and a third at Limassol’s new port.
The Paphos unit is set to be built in Peyia municipality, near the planned Paphos marina site, with a tender award process currently underway.
The UAE solution involves 15 mobile desalination units, each capable of producing up to 1,100 cubic metres of water daily, which “will fully meet Cyprus’s needs,” according to officials.
Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou and a team from the Water Department visited the UAE on April 2 to discuss potential collaboration with the UAE’s National Energy Company (TAQA) on mobile desalination units to boost drinking water availability.
TAQA, which has extensive experience developing desalination and energy generation projects worldwide, has shown interest in the partnership due to Cyprus’s strategic importance as a regional hub and its need for innovative water supply technologies.
The Abu Dhabi-based state electricity company has expressed interest in the public consultation for both land-based mobile and permanent desalination facilities.
The company’s proposals include reverse osmosis water desalination through the installation of containerised units on land for smaller facilities.
TAQA has also submitted a proposal for a permanent desalination plant with a capacity of 80,000-100,000 cubic metres of water daily, which could be constructed within five years.
For its desalination projects, the UAE company collaborates with Spanish firms including GS Inima, Accion and Abengoa, officials said.
