Gulf Construction Online - Global players in fray for Yanbu-4 water project

Saudi Focus

A desalination plant ... the Yanbu-4 IWP will have a capacity of 450,000 cu m of water per day.

Global players in fray for Yanbu-4 water project

01 July 2019

Ten leading utility developer consortiums led by top global players including FCC, Cobra and GS Inima (from Spain), Suez and Veolia (France) besides Emirati group Utico and Japan’s Marubeni have been prequalified by Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) for the Yanbu-4 independent water project (IWP).

The project is being set up in the kingdom’s Yanbu province using reverse osmosis (RO) seawater desalination technology, said senior officials of SWPC (formerly Water & Electricity Company).

According to them, the request for proposals (RFPs) has been issued to International Company for Water and Power Projects; FCC Aqualia with Haji Abdullah Alireza & Company and Alfanar Company; Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios; GS Inima Environment, International Power, Dubai Branch; Marubeni Corporation and Power and Utility Company for Jubail and Yanbu; Sacyr Servicios; Suez Groupe; Utico; and Veolia Middle East.

One of the kingdom’s ambitious projects, Yanbu-4 IWP – on completion – will boast a potable water capacity of up to 450,000 cu m per day, said senior SWPC officials.

The desalination plant will come up near the town of Ar Rayyis (140 km west of Madinah), on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia and power supply will be facilitated from the high-voltage network.

The Yanbu Phase 4 Independent Water Project has several leading global industry experts in the advisory role. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation DIFC Branch is the lead and financial advisor for the transaction, DLA Piper Middle East the legal advisor and ILF Consulting Engineers the technical advisor.

SWPC officials said once the winning developer or developer consortium gets selected, its scope of work will include development, financing, procurement, implementation, operation and maintenance of the 450,000-cu-m desalination plant, together with associated infrastructure and facilities.

Also it will sign a 25-year water purchase agreement, under which the consortium will sell the entire capacity and output to SWPC, they added.