SWPC seeks bids for key Saudi water reservoir projects
RIYADH, January 2, 2022
Saudi Water Partnerships Company (SWPC) has invited expressions of interest (EOIs) for the development of two independent strategic water reservoir projects - Al Ahsa and Eastern Province - in the kingdom with a total ultimate treatment capacity of 4.9 million cu m/day.
According to SWPC, the Eastern Province Independent Strategic Water Reservoir will be constructed with an indicative water storage capacity of 3.51 million cu m, while the Al Ahsa Independent Strategic Water Reservoir will boast a water storage capacity of 1.4 million cu m.
The project will include water reservoirs and all the associated infrastructure and facilities, it stated.
This comes in accordance with the Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Water Strategy 2030, and is aimed at improving the water sector’s resilience and its ability to respond to emergencies and disruptions as well as to provide peak load management of water demand.
Among the main objectives of this strategy is to increase water storage to seven days of water demand by 2030, said the statement from SWPC.
Announcing the floating of tenders for the project, SWPC said it will conduct a competitive process to select a private sector developer (or developer consortium) for the funding, procurement, implementation, operation, maintenance and transfer (Boot) of the project.
The successful bidder, through a project company to be incorporated, will provide the required storage capacity to SWPC under a 30-year water storage agreement.
SWPC’s obligations under the WSA will be supported by a credit support agreement from the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it added.
For the Al-Ahsa and Eastern Province projects, Synergy Consulting IFA is the lead and financial advisor; Amer Al Amr Law Firm the legal advisor and WSP Middle East Limited the technical advisor.
The last date for submitting the EOIs has been set at January 6, it added.
