Wabag JV lands Oman port desalination contract

Chennai-based Wabag Ltd, in joint venture with fellow Indian contractor Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC), has been awarded a contract for the completion of a seawater treatment plant, which will supply desalinated water to various industrial production plants in the Sohar International Port Complex.

The use of microfiltration as a pretreatment phase in the reverse osmosis (RO) process employed by Wabag for the Duqm plant was a technological first in Oman and is seen as exemplary. This concept is also to be employed in the Sohar port desalination plant.

Membrane filtration with a capacity of 16,000 m³/d will be followed by a two-stage RO plant with a capacity of 4 x 4,000 m³/d for the desalination of seawater. The produced process water will secure the water supply of the modern industrial complex, which among its various production operations has petrochemical and methanol plants.

Wabag will be responsible for the design, engineering, project management, commissioning and operational management of the plant, where civil and installation is done by NCC. Start-up is scheduled for the end of 2012.

The customer, Majis Industrial Services SAOC, issued an international invitation to tender for the project in 2009.