The Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) received nine bids for the contract to design, supply, install, test and commission a pilot photovoltaic (PV) solar powered desalination system.

Out of the nine bids, Dewa has accepted seven with two having been rejected. The prices were submitted on 2 July.

The lowest offer of AED2.97m ($0.8m) was submitted by the local HHH Construction. The low bid was 44 per cent lower than the second-lowest price, AED4.5m, submitted by local firm Value Addition.

The local Al-Mostajed Technologies submitted two proposals.

The other accepted bids were received from:

• Al-Mostajed Technologies, AED6.92m and AED8.9m
• ADC Energy Systems (local), AED6.9m
• Bilfinger Deutsche Babcock Middle East (local), AED,8.9m

The project is the latest of several schemes Dewa is pushing ahead with to meet renewable energy targets for 2030. By this time, the emirate is targeting for 15 per cent of its power to come from renewable energy sources.

Neighbouring emirate Abu Dhabi has already begun work on pilot solar powered water desalination plants.

In May 2014, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) awarded four contracts for the project to develop pilot water desalination plants, which will be powered by renewable energy technology.

Masdar awarded contracts to Spain’s Abengoa, France’s Degremont, Italy’s Sidem/Veolia and US-based Trevi Systems to develop technologies for the pilot scheme. Each company will build and operate its own test plant over a period of 18 months to develop and test desalination technologies.