The local Mushrif Trading & Contracting Companyis in negotiations with the Ministry of Public Works (MPW) over a KD 24.85 million ($82 million) contract awarded to the company earlier in the year to build a major sewage treatment plant at Jahra, southwest of Kuwait City.

MPW would like to move the planned plant closer to the ongoing Sulaibiya wastewater project for environmental reasons, and is keen for the project to proceed quickly to stop the pumping of 30,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d) of raw sewage into the sea. Talks between the two parties centre on the proposed site change and the subsequent revision to the scope of works. Both sides are optimistic that an agreement will be reached soon. A source close to the project says that contracts will be finalised 'in a matter of weeks'.

Mushrif was low bidder on the project when prices were submitted in September 2003. The project originally called for an expansion of the capacity of the existing treatment plant to 140,000 cm/d from 60,000 cm/d. The three-year contract also involved the construction of an inlet/outlet channel, demolition of an existing sludge pumping station and replacement with a new combined stage pumping station and construction of a 23,000-cm/d balancing tank (MEED 12:9:03).