Companies have until 31 July to submit offers for the contract to build six pumping stations for the 750-kilometre-long water transfer system connecting In Salah with Tamanrasset in the south. Bids for a construction supervision contract are due by 28 July.

The estimated $1,000 million project is divided into five areas, covering the construction of pumping stations, the drilling of exploration wells , the installation of two 750-kilometre pipelines, a demineralisation station and a reservoir.

China's CGCOC is carrying out the drilling and installing two segments of pipeline, while the local Cosider will install

a third.

When completed, the network will transfer 100,000 cubic metres a day of water from the In Salah aquifer. Preliminary feasibility studies for the project were carried out by Switzerland's Stucky.