Mubasher: Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QEWC) and Qatar University (QU) on Monday signed an agreement to establish a quality calibration unit for the treatment and desalination of seawater.

Under the agreement, the university’s Center for Advanced Materials (CAM) will handle specialised research in the field of pre-treatment and post-desalination technology, in addition to providing consultation whenever necessary to evaluate the work and safety of reverse osmosis plants operated by the state-run utility.

Meanwhile, QEWC will finance the unit for three years, according to the company’s statement to the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE).

Moreover, CAM will diagnose water treatment systems and conduct data analysis to guarantee its conformity to specifications.

“The agreement is complementary to the memorandum of understanding signed by the two sides in April last year to enhance cooperation in water-related research,” QU’s president Hassan bin Rashid al Derham said.

The company did not give further details concerning the total cost of the unit or its location. 

 It is worth noting that QEWC’s profits jumped 12.6% to QAR 394 million for the first quarter of 2018, from QAR 350 million in the comparative period of 2017.