Qatar to retender wastewater plant at new location

10 February 2010

Public Works Authority scraps plans for Al-Dhakhira treatment plant

Qatar’s Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has scrapped plans for an estimated $100m wastewater treatment plant at Al-Dhakhira, 40 kilometres north of Al-Khor.

Ashghal is now expected to retender the project at a different location. It will begin prequalifying contractors in March and is due to issue a new tender for the scheme in May.

The Al-Dhakhira plant would have been built in two phases, the first of which would have had capacity of 43,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d). The capacity of the second phase would be 11,000 cm/d.

The capacity of the new project has not yet been decided.

Asghal had shortlisted two groups for the original contract. They were a team of South Korea’s Daewoo Engineering & Construction with UAE-based Metito; and Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company with Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power Development. 

Kuwait’s KEO International Consultants had prepared the concept design for the scheme.

Separately, Ashghal is evaluating three bids for a feasibility study which could result in it outsourcing the operation and maintenance of the country’s wastewater and treated effluent networks for the first time.

Two US firms, Parsons Brinckerhoff and Aecom, and the UK’s Hyder submitted bids for the study in mid-December. Ashghal is expected to award the contract by April.

The winning bidder will examine Ashghal’s assets and propose a programme to update them and outsource operation and maintenance of the system.

The study is expected to take three years. Ashghal will then invite contractors to bid for several operation and maintenance contracts.

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