Gulf Construction Online - NWC to woo private sector for sewage plants

Saudi Focus

The first phase will comprise 15 sewage treatment plants.

NWC to woo private sector for sewage plants

01 September 2020

Saudi Arabia’s National Water Company (NWC) has started moving towards private sector participation in 114 sewage treatment plants with a total daily capacity of 5.1 million cu m per day by announcing the launch of the first phase of the programme.

The company said it intends, in the first phase, to procuring contracts covering 15 sewage treatment plants with a total daily capacity of 2.5 million cu m/day, which is 50 per cent of the total treatment capacity in the kingdom.

This is in line with the implementation of the National Water Strategy 2030 objectives of increasing water investments and engaging the private sector in many projects, said NMC.

A Request for Qualification (RFQ) has been sent out with regards to five long-term operations.

The company said these contracts provide for four plants in Manfuhah, Riyadh, with a total treatment capacity of 900,000 cu m per day; two plants in Hada and Aranah, Makkah region, with a capacity of 500,000 cu m per day; Airport Phase One and Al Khumrah plants in Jeddah Governorate – 830,000 cu m per day; two plants in Wadi Al Arj, Taif Governorate – 167,000 cu m per day; and plants in Arar, Turaif and Sakaka, Northern Border and Al Jouf regions – 108,000 cu m per day.

The company added that it would send out the Request for Proposals for the first contract in the third quarter of this year. The other four contracts will be procured subsequently.

As well as operations and maintenance, the scope of the five contracts will cover rehabilitation, operational improvements and capacity increases for these sewage treatment plants.

Additionally, the contracts will focus on development of sludge treatment in line with the environmental best practices, as well as producing high-quality treated sewage effluent (TSE) compliant with environmental regulations.

Meanwhile, NWC said it has signed a contract for the implementation of a wastewater project in Madinah region at an investment of more than SR150 million ($40 million).

Main pipelines running 7,775 m long with diameters between 1,200 and 2,200 mm will be laid as part of the project, it stated.

The project is to serve the districts in north and north-west Madinah region including King Fahad, Airport, Al Duwaikhlah and Al Shafiyah districts. It will also serve southern districts including Al Ranonaa, Al Jabrah and Bani Bayadah, said a senior official.