Construction work on the Mirfa Independent Water and Power Project (Mirfa IWPP) in Abu Dhabi is set to start following the signing of a $1.5-billion financing package by Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (Adwea) and GDF Suez.

GDF Suez, a French multinational electric utility company, has selected a turnkey engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor, a consortium comprising Hyundai Engineering & Construction Company and Hyundai Engineering Company from Korea and Ansaldo Energia from Italy. Degremont, a subsidiary of Suez Environnement, will be responsible for the seawater reverse osmosis (RO) facility as a subcontractor to the EPC contractor.

Commercial operation of the project is expected to commence on a phased basis between 2016 and 2017.

The project involves the acquisition of certain existing water and power facilities and the development, design, engineering and construction of new facilities, as well as the operation of the plant which will have a total power capacity of 1,600 MW and a desalination capacity of 52.5 million gallons per day.