The owner and operator of Oman’s Sur seawater desalination plant, Sharqiyah Desalination Company (SDC), has filed a bid with the Oman Tender Board for approval of a proposed expansion of 10.6 MIGD (48,000 m³/d) to the plant.
Under the water purchase agreement between SDC and the Public Authority for Electricity & Water, the company can nominate itself as the sole bidder, but has to get approval.
SDC was originally a joint venture between Veolia Water Middle East and National Power & Water Co LLC, but concluded an initial public offering for 35% of the company’s shares in June 2013. This left Veolia as the largest shareholder with 35.7%.
The expansion will raise the size of the reverse-osmosis plant, Oman’s first independent water project, to 30 MIGD (136,380 m³/d).