A consortium led by UAE-based Metito Group, a leader in total intelligent water management solutions in emerging markets, has been awarded a contract by the Saudi government to set up the country's first independent sewage treatment plant project (ISTP).
The consortium includes key partners Mowah, one of the largest private water desalination companies in Saudi Arabia and Orascom Construction, a leading global engineering and construction contractor in the region.
The plant, which has a designed capacity of 350,000 cu m per day, will be serving the western region of Dammam, said a statement from Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.
The project is the first independent sewage treatment plant project (ISTP) to be tendered to investors under a Build- Own- Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model and will initially aim at a capacity of 200,000 cu m per day, it added.
Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and Chairman of the Water and Electricity Company Engineer Abdulrahman Al Fadley signed the sewage treatment agreement (STA) with Metito Group Chairman and CEO Mutaz Ghandour for the development of the new wastewater treatment plant in Dammam.
Al Fadley said the agreement was an integral part of the plan set by the ministry to tender similar projects to the investors in different regions across the kingdom.
This is in line with the Kingdom’s "Vision 2030" and the wider initiatives approved by the Cabinet of Ministers to further encourage private sector participation in economic development initiatives, he stated.
Al Fadley pointed out that the project aims to upgrade services, make them more sustainable and increase capital spending efficiency by making the best use of the private sector experience in the environment, water and agricultural sectors.
Turki Abdulaziz Al Hokail, CEO of National Center for Privatization and PPP, elaborated on this point explaining how the center contributes to supporting and enabling the privatisation programme in the kingdom to develop and to efficiently operate public-private partnerships projects.
This initiative is the second privatization initiative in the water sector signed in less than a month and the center is currently working closely with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, to complete other similar projects.
On the contract win, Ghandour said: "Major infrastructure developments are taking place in the kingdom. The Dammam ISTP is a true landmark being the first-of-its-kind to be developed under this progressive and visionary leadership and we are very proud that the consortium led by Metito has been awarded a project of this size and importance in one of the most dynamic markets in the world and a key market for Metito."
"We look forward to working with our partners to develop this project. We are confident that it will serve as a model for other similar projects in the Kingdom and further afield," he added.
Mowah Chairman and CEO Sami Alrayes said: "We are proud that Metito/Mowah /Orascom Consortium has been awarded the first ISTP in Saudi Arabia, West Dammam. The objective of the privatization projects is to achieve 2030 Vision targets by boosting service level, improving capital, spending efficiency and to benefit from private sector experience and participation in finance and investment."
Orascom Construction CEO Osama Bishai said: "This project is a continuation of our efforts to build a solid portfolio of water-related construction projects similar to what we have achieved in power generation."
Water and Electricity Company CEO Khaled bin Zwaid AlQureshi said: "The project will benefit the residents in West Dammam area with a designed capacity of 350,000 cu m per day, utilizing the MBBR technology."
"The project is expected to begin operation in February 2022 and that deciding to develop the project under an STA is aimed at securing more benefits, making the project more sustainable and eco-friendly through the use of innovative technological solutions able to reduce odors and noise and that will significantly cut electricity consumption," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
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