Bahrain intends to privatise its sanitation facilities, a project worth at least $1 billion, a project advisor said on Thursday.

Bahrain has appointed a group comprising HSBC Bank Middle-East, which heads the consortium, Fichtner Consulting Engineers and legal firm Norton Rose to advise on the deal, HSBC said in a statement.

Bahrain has a population of about 1.05 million, and the privatisation plans include the construction of a new sewage treatment plant serving 500,000 people.

Invitations for tenders for the roughly $150 million plant will be issued within weeks, HSBC said. - Reuters