Palm Utilities, a fully-owned subsidiary of Istithmar World PJSC, a major investment holding company incorporated in the Dubai World Group, has been awarded the coveted 'Water Deal of the Year' award in the GWI Global Water Awards 2008, which was presented as one of the highlights during the Water, Finance & Sustainability 2008 IDA/Global Water Intelligence Conference being held in London from April 21-22, 2008.

Palm Utilities was presented the award for its work on the Jumeirah Golf Estates wastewater facility, one of the key projects of Palm Water, the water utility services division of Palm Utilities. The 'Water Deal of the Year' award is handed out to the deal that has made the biggest contribution to the advancement of public-private partnerships in the international water sector.

"This award underscores our strong commitment to high-quality standards and excellence. It is Palm Utilities' policy to deliver long-term value to all our projects, essentially because utility infrastructure and services are the fundamental elements that support the long-term sustainability of any society. The 'Water Deal of the Year' award will serve as a motivation for us to further excel in the provision of utility services and contribute to the development of the communities we serve," said Keith Levers, CEO, Palm Utilities.

The Jumeirah Golf Estates project features a 220,000m3/d wastewater collection, treatment and reuse facility for the up-market development in Dubai. It is a groundbreaking project as it is the first time that a water reuse facility has been implemented on such a large-scale project in the emirate. The wastewater facility, which is set to become the largest membrane bio-reactor in the world and largest private wastewater financing, is being showcased at the Conference along with other state-of-the-art utility projects and services of Palm Utilities.

Ahmed Butti, Chairman, Palm Utilities commented: "We have been eagerly looking forward to our participation at the Global Water Conference not only because of the distinction of being honoured with this award, but also to network with industry partners worldwide. We believe that part of our success is hinged on our ability to collaborate and share best practices, particularly in view of the constantly evolving challenges we are facing in the water sector. This conference served as an excellent platform to unify our efforts towards creating more sustainable solutions to these challenges."

"The Jumeirah Golf Estates wastewater facility is a showcase of technical excellence and environmental sensitivity. It has been developed by leveraging Palm Water's professional expertise and state-of-the-art technologies, which have characterised the various projects we have undertaken. We are grateful to the Award's expert panel of judges for recognising our efforts and uncompromising commitment to high-quality service," said Dr. Mahmoud Al Hindi, Operations Director, Palm Water.

The Jumeirah Golf Estates project has been short listed primarily because of its pro-environmental qualities and technical soundness. The panel of judges has also given credit to its stringent requirements for tertiary treatment and the sludge treatment method it adopts, which is currently the most sophisticated in the Gulf region.

The GWI Global Water Awards is on its fourth year of recognising global efforts that address various challenges in the water sector. The winners of the Award are decided through free voting by subscribers of GWI, WDR and members of the International Desalination Association and International Private Water Association. Winners of this year's Awards received their prizes from Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.

Other categories of the GWI Global Water Awards 2008 were Water Company of the Year, Desalination Company of the Year, Public Water Agency of the Year, Desalination Deal of the Year, Water Project of the Year, Desalination Plant of the Year, Environmental Contribution of the Year, and Bank of the Year.

Palm Utilities, through its two primary divisions of Palm District Cooling and Palm Water, has been established to address the region's unique requirements in the distinctly critical areas of cooling and water. With its aim of sustained long-term growth, Palm Utilities intends to pursue new core business activities within other utilities, including domestic gas, power distribution, sustainable energy and environmental waste management.