Maaden Waad al-Shamal Phosphate Company, a subsidiary of the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden), has awarded a $170m contract on the $7bn Waad al-Shamal phosphate mining development.

The local Abdullah A M al-Khodari Sons Company will carry out the wells field package over 14 months, according to a stock market filing.

The work involves the construction of 100-kilometre pipeline for water transmission lines from well fields to storage facilities. It is thought to already be under construction.

Major contracts on the chemicals project were awarded to China Huanqiu Contracting & Engineering Corporation (HQC), Canada’s SNC Lavalin in a consortium with China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec), South Korea’s Hanwha Engineering & Construction, South Korea’s Daelim Industrial and Spain’s Intecsa Industrial in 2013 and 2014. A $5bn financing deal closed in 2014.

Maaden has a 60 per cent stake in the project, with the US’ Mosaic and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) taking a 25 per cent and 15 per cent stake respectively.

Bidders are waiting for an award on the $1.3bn integrated solar combined-cycle power plant at the complex.

However, reports from Saudi Arabia suggest no more major contracts will be awarded in 2015, in a bid to curtail government spending and reduce the burgeoning fiscal deficit.