Saudi Arabia’s Water & Electricity Company (WEC) has received prequalification entries from 20 firms for its planned Shuqaiq 3 independent water project (IWP).

WEC received the prequalification entries by the 22 January deadline for the planned Shuqaiq 3 plant, which will have a capacity of 380,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d). The plant will use membrane reverse osmosis (RO) technology, and will be developed in the town of Shuqaiq, located on the Red Sea coast about 137km north of Jizan.

The Shuqaiq project will be developed under a build, own and operate model (BOO), with a project company to be formed and owned 100 per cent by the successful bidder.

The client is aiming to tender the project and select the preferred bidder by 30 September, with a target set for signing the water purchase agreement (WPA) with the successful bidder on 29 November.

MEED reported in November that WEC had received expressions of interest (EOI) from 51 companies for the projects to develop the planned Shuqaiq 3 and Yanbu 4 independent water plants (IWPs).