Saudi Arabia’s Water & Electricity Company (WEC) has received six proposals for the planned Shuqaiq independent water project (IWP).

The client received bids from an assortment of international consortiums on 3 September.

The groups that submitted proposals are:

• Veolia (France) / Marafiq (local) / Alamwal al-Khaleejiah al-thaniya (local)
• FCC Aqualia (Spain) / Nesma (local) / Haaco (local)
• Marubeni Corporation (Japan) / Acciona Agua (Spain) / Abdul Latif Jameel (local) / Bahr Rawafid (local)
• Engie (France) / Mitsubishi Corporation (Japan) / SSEM (local) / Metito (local)
• Acwa Power (local) / Al-Babtain Contracting (local)
• Cobra (Spain) / Orascom (Egypt) / Al-Blagha Investment (local)

The IWP will have a capacity of 450,000 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 137 kilometres 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 100 per cent owned by the successful bidder. The selected bidder will sign a 25-year water purchase agreement (WPA) with WEC, which will be the offtaker for the produced water.

The client is aiming to select the preferred bidder by 1 November, and hopes to sign the WPA with the successful bidder on 13 December.