Power and water developer, ACWA Power Barka, has signed a water purchase agreement with Oman Power and Water Procurement Company and other deals for its 56,825 m³/d, phase 2 expansion of its existing water desalination plant at Barka, 65km north of the Oman capital, Muscat.
An agreement on the use of the project land would be signed between the company and the Ministry of Housing. And a water connection agreement is to be signed with the Public Authority for Electricity and Water.
Phase 2 of the Barka expansion is an independent project to be developed on a build-own- operate basis. It will be sited next to the ACWA Power Barka’s existing 50,000 m³/d plant.
The company in December 2014 entered project agreements required for the expansion project, a loan to finance it, and an operation and maintenance agreement.
ACWA said it aims to complete of the project and start water production in three phases beginning from the third quarter of 2015 with the final stage in the first quarter of 2016.
First National Company for Operation and Maintenance Services, which is the operation and maintenance provider for the existing plant is expected to take the same role for the second phase.
The second phase was initiated to help meet the projected shortfall in the Sultanate’s water desalination production capacity and increasing annual demand for potable water.