Gulf water grid set to transform regional supply
The GCC is developing plans for a Gulf-wide network that will change the face of the region's water sector. Called the GCC water grid, the multi-billion-dollar project will enable the six GCC states to trade potable water to meet fluctuations in demand.
According to a detailed feasibility study recently prepared for the GCC Directorate for Economic Affairs by France's Sogreah, the project will comprise a 1,324-kilometre-long water pipeline from Sohar in Oman to Al-Khafji in the Divided Zone, located between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
The pipeline will allow national water authorities to obtain 23-40 per cent of their daily total potable water demand from the grid in emergencies.
Under the plan, three supranational desalination plants, located in Sohar, Sila in the western part of the UAE and Al-Khafji will supply potable water into the network. Each plant will use reverse osmosis technology and have capacity of 60.5 million gallons a day. The Al-Khafji plant will also include a power element.
In addition, the project will require more than 70 pumping stations, over 30 water reservoirs and the installation of a comprehensive supervisory, control and data acquisition system.
The total cost is estimated at $3,860 million, with the pipeline element costing $2,300 million and the desalination portion $1,560 million.
The scheme is likely to follow the same structure and rough route alignment as the $1,200 million GCC electricity grid, which is under construction by Dammam-based GCC Interconnection Authority (GCCIA). In the GCCIA model, each GCC state holds a stake in the project company. The body responsible for the water grid will also own the desalination plants.
The Sogreah study is understood to have shown the project is technically and financially feasible. Interconnection will allow member states to reduce reserve capacities, resulting in lower investment and operation costs for national system.
A decision on whether to proceed with the project is due to be made soon. This will involve the formation of the project company and consultants being taken on board through a competitive tender to design the desalination and pipeline elements.
The GCC water grid was first proposed by Oman in 2000. In 2003, Sogreah was contracted to carry out a pre-feasibility study on the scheme (MEED 14:11:06).
www.meed.com/powerwater
This content is only available to full MEED package subscribers (MEED magazine and MEED.com).
If you are already a subscriber to the MEED package and have activated your online subscription, sign in
If you are already a subscriber to the MEED package but have not activated your online subscription, please activate here
If you would like to subscribe to the full MEED package and get access to the whole of the website, please subscribe here
If you are a MEED magazine only subscriber and would like full access to MEED.com, please contact Customer Services who will upgrade your subscription.
