Oman’s Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) has invited contractors to submit bids for the contract to build a new pumping station at Ghubrah.

Contractors have until 4 February to submit bids for the construction contract.

In November, the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) awarded a contract led by Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation to develop an independent water project (IWP) at Ghubrah, located in the Muscat governorate.

Sumitomo, along with Spain’s Cadagua and Malaysia’s Malakoff International Limited (MIL) will establish a project company that will obtain a licence to build-own-operate (BOO) the 42-million-gallon-a-day (g/d) project. Sumitomo and Malakoff will each have a 45 per cent holding in project, with Cadagua holding the rest.

Demand for water in the sultanate has increased at a faster rate than anticipated over the past year prompting the PAEW to revise the capacity building plans for water projects. In June, PAEW awarded the local Galfar Engineering & Contracting a RO24m ($62.2m) contract to build a water distribution network in the wilayat of Nizwa in Al-Dakhiliya governorate.