MottMac named as engineer for Ghubrah IWP

Mott MacDonald of the UK has been named owner’s engineer for the US$ 350 million Ghubrah Independent Water Project (IWP) in Muscat, Oman.

A consortium led by Malakoff International and including Sumitomo Corporation and Cadagua is developing the seawater reverse-osmosis (RO) desalination facility. The plant, which will be located next to existing water production facilities, will produce 42 MIGD (191,000 m³/d) of potable water to supply Oman’s capital area.

The consultancy will review the engineering, procurement and construction contractor’s design, as well as supervise construction, commissioning and testing of the plant. Configuration of the plant includes submerged seawater intake and outfall, dissolved air flotation, dual-media filtration, cartridge filtration, double-pass RO, remineralisation via carbon dioxide and lime dosing, fluoridation and chlorination. Power for the plant will be drawn from the national grid.

Richard Hall, Mott MacDonald‘s project director, said: “This is the second IWP in Oman. Mott MacDonald was also involved in the first at Sur, acting as technical advisor to the government from conception through to completion.”

The Ghubrah facility is expected to be completed by October 2014.