The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) has launched a new regulatory policy for low-carbon water certificates as part of its responsibility to regulate the energy sector in Abu Dhabi, ensuring sustainability in accordance with the best international practices and standards.

The new policy supports the goals of the Strategic Initiative for Climate Neutrality 2050 and aims to issue low-carbon water certificates to reduce the impact of carbon emissions from the water desalination process in Abu Dhabi. The policy complements the clean energy certificates issued by the department in 2021, which demonstrate the production of electricity from clean energy sources.

The water certification system shows the carbon footprint of emissions from electricity consumption during the water production process. It facilitates the tracking of the entire production process of carbon-free desalinated water, from the producer to the final consumer. The policy also shows the amount of water produced using reverse osmosis technology from clean electricity sources during a given period of time.

His Excellency Eng Ahmed Mohamed Al Rumaithi, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, said: “We are proud to launch the low-carbon water certificates policy, which reflects the department’s commitment to leading the energy sector’s transformation efforts towards clean and renewable sources, reducing carbon emissions and achieving the goals of the Strategic Initiative for Climate Neutrality 2050.

“The low-carbon water certification scheme highlights Abu Dhabi's achievements in reducing carbon emissions related to water desalination. Forecasts for water production in Abu Dhabi indicate that the share from reverse osmosis technology will rise from 27 per cent in 2022 to almost 90 per cent by 2030. Reverse osmosis is the only technology eligible for low-carbon water certification.

“The DoE manages the issuance and implementation of the low-carbon water certification scheme, ensuring the use of accurate data on water production and electricity consumption. The Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) processes requests for purchasing and trading certificates in collaboration with Evident I-REC(E).”