Between the fourth quarter of 1999 and the middle of 2001, the desalinated water production in the UAE will be increased by 30%. Several desalination projects have been started on a "fast track" mode with record completion time. Various new techniques have been adopted, from the technical or financial aspects, for these fast track projects. The largest seawater MED plant (2x3.5 MIGD) was commissioned in Abu Dhabi in November 2000 and the largest MED project (50 MIGD) has recently been awarded for Al Taweelah Al. In Sharjah 2x5 MIGD MED plants are now under construction with a target completion in June 2001. While the unit size of MED plants has been steadily increasing (3.5 MIGD plants successfully commissioned in Abu Dhabi and 5 MIGD plants under construction at Sharjah), MSF plants are also increasing in unit size. Most of the major projects recently constructed or under construction in the UAE comprise large MSF plants, output ranging from 7.5-12.5 MIGD. This paper aims at describing these projects and reviews the technological innovations and project implementation methods employed in the projects.