Nissin's dual currency bid, at $72.4 million plus BD 8.5 million ($22.3 million), is 0.4 per cent lower than that of Europe's ABB, which offered $87.1 million plus BD 3.0 million ($8.0 million). The other bid came from a team of Japan's Sumitomo Corporationand France's Areva T&D. Ireland's ESB Internationalis the consultant to the client, the Ministry of Electricity & Water (MEW). The scheme has attracted funding from the Islamic Development Bank.

The project is one of a number aimed at upgrading the kingdom's stretched power and water infrastructure, but these have typically moved slowly, partly due to funding constraints. A long-awaited tender is due in December for the Hidd phase 3 expansion, involving the addition of 60 million gallons a day of desalination capacity at the complex, and MEW says that it plans to award by the end of the year an estimated BD 88 million ($231.5 million), 12-year operation and maintenance contract covering Hidd phases 1 and 2 (MEED 22:10:04).