The design and build element of the contract, expected to take about 30 months, entails increasing treatment capacity at the site to 135,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d) from 62,100 cm/d through a major extension and extensive refurbishment of the existing plant. The operations component is for 10 years.

On completion of the extension, the plant will be a fully recyclable water reuse facility, using ultra-filtration membranes. Located 22 kilometres southwest of Doha, it will be able to serve a population of 500,000.

Nine groups were originally prequalified for the contract although only three submitted bids (MEED 28:1:05). The other two bidders were Singapore's Sembcorp Engineers & Contractorswith Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation,and Athens-based Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCC). The design consultant is the UK's Hyder.

The next major contract award in the local sewerage sector is expected to be for the sewage transfer and treatment system serving the Lusail and the Pearl-Qatar residential projects in the West Bay. The client, Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company, is carrying out technical evaluation of bids from two groups, the Degremont/Marubeni team and CCC. The DBO contract involves the installation of a 10-kilometre transfer system from collection points close to the Pearl and Lusail developments and the construction of a new membrane bioreactor for sewage treatment, with capacity of about 60,000 cm/d. The operational period is also 10 years. Hyder is the consultant.

Hyder is also the design consultant for Ashghal's next major STP project, involving the grassroots Doha north plant. The size of the facility has still to be finalised, although it is expected to serve a population of at least 400,000 in the northern Doha area. Due to be completed in 2009, the project is expected to go for tender in mid-2006.