Oman Power and Water Procurement Company, the sultanate’s sole procurer of new power generation and water desalination capacity, has signed water project agreements worth 115 million rial (US$ 300 million).
Japan’s Itochu Corporation will hold 36% of the project, with French firms Suez Environnement and Engie each holding 27%, and local company W J Towell & Company will hold 10%.
The contracts are under the Barka Independent Water Project - Oman’s largest and due to begin operating by January 2018. They will cover the design, construction, ownership and operation of reverse osmosis desalination facilities producing drinking water at 281 Ml/d.
Seven multinational company-led consortiums pitched for the project. The scheme will include two sites at Barka and Sohar on Oman’s Batinah coast and nother at Quriyyat.
The tender notification from OPWP named the consortiums bidding for the contract asthose led by: Abengoa Water, Itochu Corporation, JGC, GS Inima Environment, Veolia Middle East, Valoriza Agua and Hyflux. The schemes at Barka and Sohar are scheduled for commercial operation by April 2018. The Barka plant has a planned desalination capacity of 281Ml/d. The Sohar project, meanwhile, will produce potable water at 250 Ml/d of water.