In May 2017, WaterWorld reported that the Ras Abu Fontas A3 extension had opened in Qatar. The project cost QR1.75 billion (480.6 million US dollars) and added 164,000 m³/day. It was the country's first seawater reverse osmosis scheme; until then, drinking water had mainly been produced thermally with heat from neighbouring power plants. Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation had won the contract in 2015. A3 was structured as an independent water project of Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QEWC) over 25 years, with utility Kahramaa handling distribution.
The report showed a technology shift in the Gulf: a country that had so far relied on power plant heat for its drinking water turned to membranes for new capacity, decoupled from power generation.
Source: WaterWorld