Prequalified contractors are working on bids for deals to build the Al-Madina al-Shamaliya sewage treatment plant (STP) and for the associated primary sewerage and treated sewage effluent (TSE) networks.

For the contract to build the STP and long sea outfall, contractors are preparing to submit prices on 26 November. The first phase of the STP will have a capacity of 40,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d) and is scheduled to be completed by 2017. The client is the Works Ministry.

For the contract to build the primary sewerage and treated sewage effluent (TSE) networks for the Al-Madina al-Shamaliya STP, firms have been invited to submit proposals by 19 November.The Housing Ministry is the client for the networks package.

Both projects are being funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, and, as a result, prequalification was open for local and UAE companies, or foreign firms in joint venture with companies from Bahrain or the UAE.

The Al-Madina al-Shamaliya scheme is one of two major STP projects the Works Ministry is pushing ahead with. The other project involves the expansion of the existing Tubli STP, which will double the capacity of the facility from the existing 200,000 cm/d to 400,000 cm/d. The Tubli expansion is scheduled to be carried out between 2015 and 2018.

The ministry received prequalification entries from 25 groups in December last year, but contractors are still waiting for the client to issue the request for proposals (RFPs). The scheme is being funded by the governments of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.