Reports: Mombasa awards desalination contract

Mombasa County, Keyna, has awarded a design, build and operate contract for new desalination capacity, reports Daily Nation.

The news emerged following Keyna National Dam Conference, 8 to 9 March 2018, hosted in Mombasa by Keyna’s National Water Conservation and Pipeline Corporation (NWCPC).

A Spanish and a Swiss company have reportedly won the project comprising two plants with capacity totalling 130,000 m3/d. Construction is slated to begin in June 2018, with the larger of the two plants, in the North Mainland zone, either at Kisuani or Nyali, to complete within 15 months, and a smaller facility in the south, at Likoni, to complete within 12 months.

The award is reportedly for a multi-billion Keynan shillings contract (multiples of $10 million).

Water demand in Mombasa County is 180,000 m3/d, and official supply is pegged at 48,000 m3/d, according to the original tender document. The document outlines a project for three desalination facilities with total capacity of 270,000 m3/d, to be delivered as a public-private partnership, and to include a water purchase agreement with off-taker Mombasa County Government/Mombasa Water & Sewerage Corporation.

Mombasa County wants to stamp out illegal connections to water supplies, as well as unofficial supplies of borehole water which brings health risks.

Kenya’s Mombasa County poised to issue RfP for desalination project (April 2017)

Keyna’s Mombasa County seeks bids for desalination projects (February 2017)

Land prices ‘astronomical’, says Mombasa governor (November 2016)

* In March 2017, Spain’s Almar Water Solutions stated that it had pre-qualified for a design, build, operate, transfer (DBOT) project for Mombasa County, total capacity 270,000 m3/d, comprising: 100,000 m3/d in the West Mainland zone; 100,000 m3/d in the North Mainland zone; and in Likoni, a 70,000 m3/d plant.

Four other international companies were also said to have pre-qualified.