All our water needs in the UAE are met from the sea. EGA does not use groundwater or any other water source.
We use seawater for cooling at both Al Taweelah and Jebel Ali.
The temperature of this water increases during its use. We closely monitor both the temperature and salinity of water discharged back to the sea as this is important to preserve the marine environment.
At Al Taweelah we have cooling towers and an aeration basin to lower the temperature of the water before it is returned to the sea.
We also use seawater to produce fresh water at both Al Taweelah and Jebel Ali through desalination.
Our desalination plant at Al Taweelah uses reverse osmosis and has the capacity to produce 3.75 million gallons (approximately 17,000 cubic metres) of water per day, all of which we use on our own site.
Our desalination plant at Jebel Ali uses the multi-stage flash distillation process.
In Jebel Ali we can produce 30 million gallons (136,000 cubic metres) of both potable and distilled water per day.
We use most of the distilled water ourselves, and supply most of the potable water to customers.
We have implemented many initiatives to reduce our own water consumption.
Our desalination team has installed additional flow meters throughout our smelter operations. These flow meters enable us to record and monitor actual rather than estimated consumption. Flow restriction devices – such as low flow taps and reduced flush toilets – have been installed in common areas.
Preventative maintenance helps minimise water waste and losses.
We also make extensive use of recycled grey water, which is treated sewage effluent from our on-site sewage treatment plants. This has effectively eliminated any need to use potable water for irrigation purposes.
The water filling station at our Jebel Ali site has been re-engineered to capture spilled water which we also now use for irrigation.