In June 2018, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House) reported that Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) had shortlisted 25 bidders for its large desalination scheme at Taweela. Thirteen firms, among them ACWA Power, Acciona Agua, Engie, Marubeni, Suez and Veolia, qualified without conditions. Twelve others, including GS Inima, Hyflux, Samsung and Sojitz, could only bid as consortium members. The developer competition for the 909,000 m³/day project had started in January 2018, and bids were due on 29 October 2018.
The report showed broad competition for a single large desalination project in Abu Dhabi, with smaller applicants only allowed to compete alongside partners.