MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
Abu Dhabi will bring investors, utilities, technology companies and government entities together in December for a new three-day forum focused on financing water infrastructure, deploying new technologies and strengthening the emirate’s water resilience.
The inaugural Abu Dhabi Water & Power Week (ADWPW 2026) will take place from December 8 to 10 alongside the UN Water Conference 2026, under the theme “Redefining Water Resilience for Prosperity”.
The event will feature investment, technology and innovation summits. The Finance & Investment Summit will focus on financing resilient water infrastructure, including the challenges facing investors and the conditions needed to attract further capital into the sector.
“Water security is fundamental to strengthening the resilience of Abu Dhabi's system and its long-term prosperity,” Abdulaziz Mohammed Al Obaidli, Director General of Regulatory Affairs at the Department of Energy - Abu Dhabi, said.
“Our approach is to plan ahead and bring together governance, infrastructure, investment, and innovation as part of an integrated system that can respond to growing demand and changing conditions.”
Funding Innovation
AAlongside investment in infrastructure, ADWPW will introduce a new ecosystem to support the development and deployment of water and power technologies, Al Obaidli told Aletihad during a media briefing on Wednesday.
“We want to create a new ecosystem that funds innovation, funds new ideas,” he said.
Details of this new hub are expected to be announced during the event in December.
A ‘Dh1 billion Innovation Allowance’ is currently part of an existing framework to support the testing, adoption and scale-up of proven technologies.
Next up, the Technology & Innovation Summit will cover AI-enabled utilities, digital water systems, next-generation desalination, water reuse and circular solutions.
Al Obaidli highlighted Abu Dhabi’s shift from conventional thermal desalination towards reverse osmosis as one example of how technology is changing the emirate’s water system.
Reverse osmosis accounted for 27% of Abu Dhabi’s desalination capacity in 2022 and is targeted to reach about 85% by 2030 and 98% by 2035, according to figures from the Department of Energy made available to Aletihad.
Taweelah RO has a capacity of 909,200 cubic metres per day, making it the world’s largest operational reverse osmosis desalination plant. Digitalisation is also being used to improve efficiency across the water and power sectors.
The Abu Dhabi We Platform, announced in 2025, includes five AI applications focused on efficiency, security of supply, sustainability and demand response.
The applications are targeting annual savings of around 160 million cubic metres of water and 1.9 terawatt-hours of energy by 2035.
Building Water Resilience
The event will also feature an Abu Dhabi Pavilion showcasing the emirate’s water infrastructure and future plans, alongside technology showcases and strategic partnership announcements.
Abu Dhabi’s approach to water security is based on five complementary sources operating as an integrated system: desalination, recycled water, strategic groundwater reserves, rainwater harvesting and demand efficiency.
The Liwa Strategic Water Reserve stores approximately 26 million cubic metres of water through 315 recovery wells, providing around 90 days of emergency water supply.
The emirate is also targeting a 32% reduction in water consumption by 2030, compared with a 2013 business-as-usual baseline. The target represents approximately 465 million cubic metres in water savings.
Around 306 million cubic metres of water savings had already been achieved by 2023, according to the Department of Energy. Al Obaidli said reaching the target involves coordination across government entities and the wider water value chain.
“We don't work in silos,” he said. “Different stakeholders who are champions of different sectors work together in an integrated approach.”
The emirate is also targeting a 40% reduction in network water losses by 2035. Recycled water is another part of Abu Dhabi’s strategy to reduce demand on freshwater resources.
The emirate has 41 wastewater treatment plants with a combined installed capacity of around 1.33 million cubic metres per day. Around 72% of treated water is currently reused, with the government targeting 100% beneficial utilisation by 2030.
The expansion of recycled water to more than 1,600 farms could reduce groundwater abstraction by up to 250,000 cubic metres per day, according to Department of Energy figures.