Saudi Arabia invites prequalification for Medina independent sewage project

The Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) has issued the request for qualification (RFQ) for the planned 375,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d) Medina 3 independent sewage treatment plant (ISTP).

Energy & Utilities reported earlier in February that the client had received 62 expressions of interest (EOI) for the project, with local Saudi companies accounting for 23 of the 62 entrants. The full list of firms which submitted EOI documents can be found on the SWPC website.

The winning developer will sign a 25-year sewage treatment agreement (STA) with SWPC.

SWPC has appointed Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation as lead and financial adviser, UK-based Atkins as technical adviser and UK legal firm DLA Piper as legal consultant.

SWPC awarded contracts for Saud Arabia’s first three ISTP projects in 2019, with sewage treatment plants before this date having all been delivered under standard engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts.

In December, SWPC awarded a contract to a consortium of Spain’s Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios and local company Tawzea to develop the Taif ISTP.

The winning team had submitted the lowest tariff of SRhalala 107.9 ($cents2.87) a cubic metre during a competitive bidding process in August. The Taif ISTP will have a treatment capacity of 100,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d).

SWPC appointed Japan’s Mizuho Bank as lead and financial adviser, and Atkins as technical adviser for the Taif scheme.

In February last year, the client had signed contracts with a consortium comprising local firms Power & Water Utility Company for Jubail, Al-Amwal al-Khaleejiah and France’s Veolia to develop the Jeddah Airport 2 ISTP. The Jeddah Airport 2 plant will have a capacity of 500,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d).

India/US-based Synergy was the financial adviser to the winning consortium.

The February award of the Jeddah airport project followed less than a month after a consortium of UAE’s Metito, the local Mowah and Egypt’s Orascom was appointed to develop the Dammam West, the kingdom’s first ISTP project.

The Dammam West plant, located in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, will have an initial capacity of 200,000 cm/d, with a design that will allow expansion up to 350,000 cm/d in the future.

Like the latest project, all three of the awarded ISTP projects will be developed under a 25-year sewage treatment agreement (STA), with sewage capacity provided by the National Water Company.