A strategic partnership for water resilience
President Christodoulides recently announced that Cyprus, as part of its close relationship with Abu Dhabi, has secured the donation of 15 mobile desalination units from the United Arab Emirates. Each unit will produce 1,100 cubic metres of potable water per day—enough to cover Cyprus’s national water needs through 2025.
The agreement marks more than just emergency aid. It highlights the UAE’s transformation into a global leader in desalination technology- a transformation Cyprus now stands to benefit from.
Innovation born of necessity
With extremely low rainfall and limited natural freshwater resources, the UAE has spent decades building a water strategy rooted in technology. Since the 1970s, the country has developed around 70 large-scale desalination plants, now producing 14% of the world’s total desalinated water.
This massive infrastructure supports both a booming population and a fast-growing economy.
Landmark facilities
The UAE is home to the world’s largest desalination plant: Jebel Ali in Dubai, producing 490 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD). Other major plants include AI Taweelah in Abu Dhabi (200 MIGD) and the Umm Al Quwain facility currently under construction, which will add another 150 MIGD upon completion.
Additional facilities like Fujairah F1 and F2 use hybrid desalination technology, while Al Layyah in Sharjah supplies both water and 20% of the emirate’s energy needs.
Facing the environmental challenges
Desalination isn’t without cost. The UAE is working to reduce the energy and environmental toll of these operations by incorporating reverse osmosis (RO), multi-stage flash distillation (MSF), and increasingly, renewable energy sources. A solar-powered plant is planned in Ras Al Khaimah as part of a nationwide effort to lower the carbon footprint of water production.
Challenges remain: high energy costs, brine waste management, and the need to expand water recycling and conservation efforts. But the UAE’s model demonstrates how technological investment can create long-term water security—even in extreme climates.
Also read: With free water from the Emirates, Cyprus ‘solves’ its summer crisis
