Oman gives green light to five bids to tender for giant desalination duo

The Omani government has prequalified five utility-led consortiums for the next phase of a competitive tender for a license to build two major water desalination projects on Oman’s Batinah coast.

The state-run Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) named the following bidding groups as “unconditionally” qualified to participate in the tender:

Abengoa Consortium,
GdF Suez (International Power),
Hyflux,
Valoriza, and
Veolia Consortium.

Three other groups, led by GS Inima, Itochu and JGC, were “conditionally qualified” to join in the tender while Aqualia Consortium, Citic Consortium, Sojitz and Tedagua Consortium all failed to qualify said OPWP .

Two successful bidders will each secure a license to develop, finance, design, engineer, construct, own, operate and maintain one of the two water-only schemes: the 281,000 m³/d Barka IWP, and the 250,000 m³/dy Sohar IWP. Both projects are scheduled to begin commercial operation by 1 April, 2018.