TANQIA’s Executive Chairman of the Board, Ibrahim Elwan
THE BLUEPRINT FOR SUSTAINABLE WATER TREATMENT – Trailblazing UAE utility TANQIA provides a template for wastewater systems of the future This article is published by Industry Networker magazine, issue number 01/21
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Company Profile: TANQIA Written by SARAH PURSEY
THE BLUEPRINT FOR SUSTAINABLE WATER TREATMENT 2
TANQIA – the first privately owned wastewater collection and treatment Regulated Utility in the UAE, and across the wider Middle East Region – is a Utility with no shortage of vision. Two years since last speaking with Industry Networker, Mr. Ibrahim Elwan – Executive Chairman of the Board of TANQIA – reveals more on how his firm is dramatically enhancing its state-of-the-art Wastewater Collection and Treatment System (WWCTS) in Fujairah, as it strives to drive down costs, promote sustainability and accommodate future demand. cross the Gulf Region in the Middle East, water supply depends on two sources: Sea through desalination, and underground fossil-deep aquifers. However, throughout the Region ground water sources continue to decline in extraction output and increasing salinity due to over-pumping and seawater ingress as a consequence. The UAE’s water supply is predominately reliant on desalination, including the recharge of underground wells using surplus desalinated water. Recent UAE Government Policy called for compliant recycled wastewater to be maximised to substitute for higher value desalinated and underground water. This substitution serves twin benefits: reducing investments in desalination; and replenishing the depleted underground water. TANQIA is a Regulated Utility, developed by Elwan Group (a boutique infrastructure development company), with the exclusive mandate to design, finance, construct, own, operate & maintain, and expand the (WWCTS) to meet, at all times, the forecast demand for Wastewater Services for the duration of the Concession Period.
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TANQIA’s financing of the Greenfield WWCTS was made possible by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), a European Union Commercial Bank guaranteed by Hermes, the Guarantee Agency of Government of Germany; and a loan from Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD). The RBS loan was paid off in 2017. The Greenfield Wastewater System was the first Central WWCTS that Government of Fujairah (GoF) succeeded in materialising, after frequent other unsuccessful attempts since 1973 to achieve such a goal. The Greenfield WWCTS was implemented in two Phases (I & II). Construction commenced in 2005 and commercial operation of Phases I & II was acknowledged in early 2009. Phases I & II comprised two trains, each of 8,000 m3/day (2 x 8,000 m3/day) and 179 km of Wastewater Collection Network (WWCN) including 29 pumping stations. Since TANQIA’s state-of-the-art facility commenced operations in 2009 – at a site spanning 16 hectares just south of Qidfaa north of Fujairah’s cap- ‡
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ital city – the Utility has blazed a regional trail as the Middle East’s first privately held WWCT utility, producing high quality effluent thanks to its technologydriven approach to wastewater management. TANQIA has earned renown and a clutch of awards for its role in protecting the Emirate’s environment, and increasing its treated effluent resources. Recognised globally for its efficiency, TANQIA today sets benchmarks for the entire industry as it continues to drive down the cost of Wastewater Services in tandem with advancing the dramatic expansion of its system’s Installed Treatment Capacities. At the time we last spoke to Mr. Elwan, contracts for the Civil Works were awarded to Skyline Construction of UAE and Electromechanical Works were awarded to Bioworks of Germany. Both works commenced at the site of TANQIA’s Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), to increase its Installed Treatment Capacity (ITC) – a major expansion project. Now, two years on from commencement of Works, we sit down with the Executive Chairman of TANQIA’s Board to learn that Expansion I – a development set to increase installed treatment capacity of the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) from the current 16,000 m3/d up 46,000 m3/d – is progressing at apace. Highest quality at the lowest feasible cost
Demand forecast for wastewater services in the Concession Area – an area spanning approximately 92 km2 – forms the basis for the utility’s investment strategy, to cope with unprecedented population
growth: from an average of 5.2% per year forecast provided by the Fujairah Department of Statistics for the duration of the Concession Period, that the two Parties to the Concession Agreement signed in 2004. However, actual population growth in the Concession Area accelerated to reach an average annual growth rate of about 8%. In tandem with this unanticipated average population growth rate, there has been a sustained rise in per capita consumption of water, which has grown at an average annual rate of 9%, increasing from 174 litres in 2002 to 379 litres in 2020, one of the highest growth rates globally. The principal objective of TANQIA’s strategy is to provide customers with wastewater services of the highest quality at the lowest feasible cost – and in turn, to gradually increase the tariffs to bring them closer to the actual operation and maintenance cost. “How the ‘least cost’ element is addressed is that while TANQIA provides wastewater collection and treatment services, the utility is actually an environmental firm whose emphasis is to extract valuable resources for ‘economic recycling’ while achieving the smallest feasible environmental footprint,” the Executive Chairman, Mr. Elwan, points out. Strategy targets achieved
Indeed, from the very start, TANQIA’s strategy was to avoid assuming additional debt that would have raised wastewater tariffs driven by heavier higher debt service while awaiting the retirement of existing debt, explains Mr. Elwan. “Consequently, new investment in increasing installed treatment capacity of WWTP was deferred, and instead, TANQIA put in place an aggressive replacement programme for the existing treatment
plant to ensure that it could cope with the increase in the influent. In parallel, our Utility could concentrate on extending WWCN to broaden coverage of wastewater services in the Concession Area and raise the revenue generation, as well as pursue continued efficiency improvements.” The strategy was implemented, and the targets achieved: in 2004, when GoF and TANQIA executed the Concession Agreement (CA), the WWCN covered only 179 km – yet the network has been significantly expanded since then, reaching 526 km in 2020. Meanwhile, the Service coverage ratio, which stood at zero when TANQIA commenced construction of the two phases of the green field system, had by 2020 increased to 87% of the population of the Concession Area. The remaining 13% remained unconnected in view of the fact that GoF plans to use the area for the New Commercial City Centre. Consequently, wastewater generated by this segment of the population continues to be evacuated by Fujairah Municipality and delivered to WWTP for treatment. “Successful implementation of the strategy would not have been feasible without the support of the Government of Fujairah, the Municipality of Fujairah
– alongside the generosity of the Government of Abu Dhabi, without which extension of the WWCN would not have been possible,” remarks the TANQIA Executive. The scope of Expansion I
Describing the civil and electro-mechanical works as part of Expansion I project, Mr. Elwan advises: “Four treatment trains (each with 8,000 m3/d treatment capacity, equal to 32,000 m3/day) will be added to the ITC of WWTP. The firefighting and fire alarm system of the existing WWTP and Expansion I of the plant will be upgraded to comply with new civil defence guidelines. Expansion I will also entail civil works and interior fitting of the administration building; supply and installation of the pipeline network for supply of 20,000 m3/day effluent to the Federal Water & Electricity Authority (FEWA)’s Effluent Distribution Network through the Effluent Balancing Tank (EBT) outside the gates of the WWTP Site; and the balance of generated effluent shall be polished for ensuring unrestricted irrigation ‡
Dr Ibrahim I. Elwan, Executive Chairman
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in compliance with WHO Standard. Civil works for the polishing plant to improve effluent quality are currently at the design stage. Regarding the electromechanical (E&M) works that Expansion I entails, Mr. Elwan informs that it includes: supply and erection of E&M equipment for the four new Trains 1, 2, 3 and 4 (4 x 8,000 m3/day); the addition of two belt presses for Sludge Dewatering at the existing building to handle additional sludge generated by advancing two trains (2 x 8,000 m3/day) and provide Dewatering to Stages I & II of the new city in the Concession Area of Mohamed Bin Zaid (MBZ) City; and a new pumping station for delivering effluent to FEWA’s balancing tank. Additionally, the work will entail supply and erection of the polishing plant’s E&M to upgrade the effluent quality and make it suitable for unrestricted irrigation in accordance with WHO’s Guidelines.
advise that the contract for both civil and electromechanical works are well advanced, with almost 50% completed. Completion of Stage I works – comprising 16,000 m3/day (2 x 8,000 m3/d) – is slated for 31st July 2021. Thereafter, Stage II – adding another additional 16,000 m3 /day (2 x 8,000 m3/d) is set for completion by 31st December 2021. The two first trains will accommodate stage I of MBZ City. The existing ITC of 16,000 m3/day will be technically audited and its Bill of Quantities (BOQ) prepared by Emscher, one of the largest water utilities in Germany. The Contract to Emscher has been awarded and the pricing of the rehabilitation works would be available before financial close. In its entirety, Expansion I will increase ITC of WWTP from the 16,000 m3/d in place today to 46,000 m3/d when completed. An expanding network
Progress towards a 46,000 m3/d plant
Construction of Expansion I of TANQIA’s WWTS is well on the way, assures Mr. Elwan, who goes on to
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Under the Concession Agreement, TANQIA’s Greenfield WWTS comprised: a wastewater treatment plant processing 16,000 m3/day composed of two trains (8,000 m3/day each), 179 km of WWCN, and 29 pumping stations. This WWCT System was
designed to provide services to 4,725 properties. However, since 2008 (when Phase II of the Greenfield system was completed), TANQIA has continued to expand its WWCN – from 179 km up to 526 km as of 31st December 2020, representing an average annual rate of growth of 11%. Meanwhile, the number of properties connected increased from 4,725 up to 8,252 over the same time period. This represents 19,530 accounts connected to the WWCN, while the population served by TANQIA’s wastewater services increased from around 37,187 to 116,000, representing an average annual increase of about 8%. Peak wastewater generation to be treated reached 27,000 m3/d despite the fact that the ITC remained since 2009 at 16,000 m3/day – and the deficit in installed treatment capacity will persist until Expansion I is completed, Mr. Elwan advises. “Analysis of the data on water consumption within the Concession Area shows that the peak volume of wastewater generation increased at an average annual
rate of 9.7% for 2002–2020, and in December 2020 stood at about 27,000 m3/day. “This unprecedented growth in water consumption and generation of wastewater requires urgent new investment to increase the installed treatment capacity of the WWTP,” he tells us, “coupled with systematic and gradual adjustment in both water and wastewater Tariffs to encourage conservation and the introduction of water-saving devices to reduce consumption and offset the increase in tariffs.” TANQIA-SIYANA – a company fully-owned by the developer, Elwan Group – today operates the WWCTS, and has managed to successfully maintain the increase in inflow of 27,000 m3/d through its highly intensive maintenance and replacement programme, applied to maintain the existing ITC of 16,000 m3/d. However, shortage of ITC increases the chances of Effluent Generation’s failure to generate fully complying effluent with the Standards agreed under the Concession Agreement.‡ 7
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player in wastewater technology. BIOWORKS® has been awarded the extension of the treatment plant of Fujairah, operated and owned by TANQIA, the first privately held utilities provider in the Middle East area. This award serves to demonstrate BIOWORKS®’ technical competence, reliability and competitiveness in engineering and execution of large size infrastructure project and shows the commitment that BIOWORKS® has to this dynamic region. Following TANQIA’s requirements, BIOWORKS® has designed a full fledged treatment solution, with complete tertiary treatment and disinfection of the
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Further integration and circularity
In the previous interview, Mr. Elwan informed that an internal and external network connection would be created to provide Wastewater Services to Stages I and II of the new MBZ City, adding another 46.5 km to completed internal WWCN of 440 km of Stage I of MBZ City network. The Executive advises that construction of the pipeline Internal Network and MBZ pump station were completed – back in December 2018. “The hydraulic and least cost path for connecting the new MBZ City to TANQIA’s wastewater network required a twin pipeline – each of 400 mm diameter and 11.25 km in length – to integrate the internal network of MBZ City with TANQIA’s WWTS.” Mr. Elwan also updates us in relation to TANQIA’s progress by FEWA on developing its effluent distribution network (EDN), which is set to provide 1.3 billion gallons of high-quality effluent once completed. “TANQIA is making a significant environmental contribution, generating high-quality effluent for substitution of desalinated and underground water in non-potable usage. Expansion I of WWCT System shall produce ‘tertiary treated effluent’, suitable for restricted irrigation and many other industrial uses, although for unrestricted irrigation and special industrial uses it has to be further appropriately treated,” he advises. FEWA’s Effluent Balance Tank (EBT) shall also include a distribution network to deliver water to MBZ 10
City and farms in the northern area of the emirate. However, TANQIA insisted on having a polishing plant using state-of-the-art technologies to make the effluent suitable for unrestricted irrigation. This decision was made by TANQIA following the recommendations and standard of WHO, and supportive data on the experience of California regarding unrestricted irrigation. Green energy projects
In our previous conversation, Mr. Elwan highlighted numerous energy-efficient and green energy projects that TANQIA had explored in conjunction with Expansion I, with a view to boosting sustainability, alongside providing energy-saving and cost-saving opportunities in its wastewater treatment system operations – and there has evidently been significant progress in advancing such aims since then. “TANQIA believes that utility-led innovation holds the key to enabling an era of wastewater sector sustainability. To foster a culture of innovation, TANQIA is articulating new values, investing in new processes and seeking broad stakeholder engagement to implement new methods for utility management and operation. The adopted approach by TANQIA is charting a path to follow. The new solar energy project that is being implemented in TANQIA’s Wastewater Treatment Plant in Fujairah is a solid and clear example of its movement towards sustainable energy,” he informs, adding that the project comprises two stages: “Stage 1 is a 422kWp Rooftop Solar PV System
that is expected to cover more than 56% of the annual energy requirements of the WWTP’s buildings,” he tells us. “Stage 2 is a 6.17 MWp Solar Farm that is expected to cover 107% of the average annual energy requirements of WWTP in its entirety; in other words, it covers 30% of WWTP’s energy requirements during the sunshine period and allows for the generation of revenues by exchanging cheap power from trading the remaining 70% to other industries in TANQIA’s off-peak periods,” Mr. Elwan advises. The two stages of the solar system are currently at procurement stage, with contracts awarded for the commencement of work on Stage 1 expected by Q2 2021, and the commencement of work on Stage 2 in
Q4 2021. Once completed, the new additions are expected to deliver substantial gains – not only by reducing operational cost, but clearly from a sustainability standpoint too: “TANQIA’s Green Energy Project shall reduce the carbon footprint by about 6,061 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year,” Mr. Elwan informs. “Such a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is equivalent to the average emissions generated by 1,543 passenger vehicles driven for a full year. It is also equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions generated by the electricity use of 1,209 homes for each year of operation, reaching total reduction of carbon footprint by about 224,791 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) over 32 years till 2052 by the end of the Concession Period.” Beyond that, TANQIA’s dedication to the environment will continue with the installation of the PV solar ‡
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farm that is expected to reach a generating capacity of 24.7 MW, as electricity demand escalates in tandem with wastewater generation. “TANQIA shall continue its aggressive commitment to ensuring clean environment in all of its operations, and our company remains committed to the replacement of conventional power supply by renewable solar energy, fulfilling UAE’s obligations under Paris Accord,” pledges the firm’s Executive Chairman. Efficient sludge treatment concepts
In its focus of implementing particularly sustainable and eco-friendly processes for efficient wastewater and sludge treatment concepts close to nature, TANQIA is increasingly assessing options to integrate well-developed processes known as ‘constructed wetlands’ and ‘reed-technology’. Mr. Elwan points out that such nature-oriented treatment – using reed to convert wastewater- or sludge-bound pollutants into biomass – not only reduces energy consumption to a fraction of what is required compared to conventional treatment, but also contributes to providing habitat for wildlife, capturing carbon dioxide and having a positive impact on the overall landscape. “Products previously considered as waste would be fully converted into valuable resources like clean treated effluent, humus and soil enhancer, exemplifying a true circular economy,” the Executive explains. “Following a global trend to reuse and recycle along12
side rapidly decreasing disposal areas, we had to find answers on how to make use of the large quantities of ‘sludge’ product we are generating in the course of the wastewater treatment process, and to give it the value it deserves,” Mr. Elwan continues to inform. “In particular in this region of the world, we are facing shortages in fertile land but missing out on opportunities to make our beautiful country more self-sustainable, by redeploying resources which can make it fertile at the same time.” Consequently, TANQIA decided to follow an ambitious programme to convert the by-product sludge into valuable soil by making use of reedbed technology. Current projections show that up to 65,000 m2 of land will be required until 2052, at which time – without any addition of chemicals and without any input of energy (other than sunlight) – valuable soil will be produced during a natural process for a period of about 7–10 years until the next cycle starts. After each cycle, fertile soil can be harvested and made available for landscaping, farming or for golf courses, for example, prior to starting a new cycle of soil-production by sludge-recycling where no loss of costly fertilisers such as ammonia or phosphates will be faced. Given the minimal degree of automation and mechanical equipment required, Mr. Elwan confirmed that the measure would be implemented at least-cost and minimum CAPEX-requirement. Award winning accomplishments
Certainly, the achievements of TANQIA and the plant’s operating company TANQIA SIYANA have not gone unnoticed, as evidenced by a handful of prestigious accolades bestowed upon the organisations in recent years.
Back in 2015, TANQIA was awarded ‘Best Infrastructure Utility Service Provider in the UAE’ – by the Global Banking & Finance Review. The following year, the utility bagged both ‘Best Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Utility Management Team in the Middle East for FY2016’ and ‘Best Wastewater Utility Management Team – Middle East’ from Capital Finance International. In 2017, the World Confederation of Business bestowed the ‘Recognition of Entrepreneurial Company’ accolade on TANQIA, while the firm also received an ‘Appreciation Certificate’ from the Ministry of Energy later that year. TANQIA SIYANA FZC was recognised by Capital Finance International as ‘The Most Innovative Wastewater O&M Team – Middle East 2018’. Beyond that, the firm’s exceptional record when it comes to operational safety was recognised for three consecutive years (2018, 2019 and 2020) when it won the International Safety Awards ‘Merit’ accolade from the British Safety Council (BSC) and in two consecutive years (2019 and 2020) received the ‘Gold Award’ from
the Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents, a renowned UK institution. It was in April 2018 when TANQIA SIYANA FZC was also certified with the internationally recognised occupational health and safety management system standard OHSAS 18001:2007, alongside the environmental management system standard ISO 14001:2015 and the quality management system standard ISO 9001:2015 for its services on water and wastewater projects and systems. TANQIA SIYANA’s contribution to UAE’s Paris Accord
TANQIA, with its strong commitment to environmental responsibility, had already identified measures aimed at reducing its environmental and carbon footprint well before ratification of the Paris Agreement. Graph I provides an overview of the Carbon DioxideSavings (CO2-Savings) already implemented or scheduled for implementation in the course of Expansion I or beyond. ‡
TANQIA’s Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) General Layout, showing the future Expansions of the Installed Treatment Capacity, Solar Farm and the Sludge Treatment Farm
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Graph I
Table I
As shown in Table I, a total of 13 different measures were identified for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions – indeed, some of these were already successfully implemented prior to ratification of the Paris Agreement. Others were implemented after its ratification and are already contributing to carbon dioxide emission reductions. Overall, until the end of 2020, a total of 52,879 tons of Carbon Dioxide were saved, contributing to the UAE’s effort of meeting the Paris Accord’s targets as agreed by the Government of UAE, a co-signer of the Paris Accord. However, measures identified to have the most important impact on TANQIA’s climate protection efforts are part of Expansion I after its completion. Overall, by the end of 2052, an estimated total of 1.56 million tons of Carbon Dioxide will be saved following completion of Expansion I.
A polished approach
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Since last speaking with Industry Networker around two years ago, TANQIA has extended its reach to explore and pursue projects beyond the UAE’s borders. However, the conditions that TANQIA has insisted upon when it comes to pursuing such projects is testament to the award-winning firm’s unerring emphasis on quality, efficiency and sustainability at every step. Such prerequisites, as Mr. Elwan informs, revolve around “protection of the environment through pursual of least cost as a top priority – including efforts on a number of sustainability initiatives.” Indeed, in projects across the Middle East and the Mediterranean countries of the EU, TANQIA insisted that no treated effluent would be discharged unless treated up to the tertiary stage and that it would also be polished. The polishing process targets not only viruses, bacteria and parasites, but also involves the removal of remaining suspended solids, biological
oxygen demand (BOD) and other traces of pollutants that may be left after secondary effluent treatment. “Our condition for working on such projects was that no treated effluent shall be discharged in the deserts, rivers, lakes and seas,” he advises, “and all tertiary treated effluent shall be polished to allow for reuse without any restrictions.” TANQIA’s principled approach provides multiple opportunities for reuse of the polished tertiary treated effluent for economic purposes, although the major impediment in the countries of the Gulf Region to achieving this goal is the pricing of water and wastewater services, points out Mr. Elwan. “Wastewater tariffs, as set by most governments in the Middle East, are subsidised – and there is scope for the economic reuse of polished tertiary treated effluent, provided that the water and wastewater are treated to fully comply with the most stringent standards,” he advises. “This will take time, of course, and the involvement of wastewater utilities in identifying downstream potential economic uses for polished tertiary treated effluent and sludge.” Nonetheless, TANQIA has been working on a solution that entails containerised polishing units of tertiary
treated effluent. The results are extremely encouraging, as Mr. Elwan informs. “TANQIA is now moving to the final stage of the technology by using solar energy as a source of power for the polishing process,” he reveals. “TANQIA is looking at introducing containers with solar panels, with a view to reducing both the cost of polishing effluent and the cost of treatment. This will require at least another two years of data collection, examining the quality of the output and energy use per gallon of water to determine the commercial potential of the process in low-income developing countries globally.” TANQIA is working closely on this solution with Water4All – a renowned water treatment unit supplier from the Netherlands – as it strives to commercialise small-scale units for small suppliers and individual consumers. Such a decentralised, self-sustainable solution clearly presents enormous opportunities for driving down the cost of wastewater treatment – and it is evidently just the latest in a long line of innovations that positions TANQIA at the forefront of its sector, and serves to further validate this progressive firm’s award-winning, technology-driven approach to the vital endeavour of wastewater management. o 15
A UTILITY DEDICATED TO THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THE RECOVERY OF VITAL RESOURCES FOR RECYCLING WE DEVELOP, OWN, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN WATER & WASTEWATER SYSTEMS TANQIA FZC. FUJAIRAH FREE ZONE, P.O.BOX: 5150, FUJAIRAH, U.A.E., | TEL.: +971 9 2282103 | FAX: +971 9 2282104 | TANQIA1@TANQIAFZC.AE