A consortium led by Aqualia, the water division of Spanish construction giant FCC, said it has won a 76.3 million euros ($101 million) contract to manage the sewage and water treatment system in Abu Dhabi.

Aquila, the world's third-largest water company, said this is the first water management contract to go to a Spanish company in the UAE.

The seven-year contract has been awarded by Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company to the consortium and a local company Mace, said the Spanish firm in a statement.

The contract includes operation and maintenance of more than 2,400 km of sewers, 68 wastewater-pumping stations and 19 wastewater treatment plants in the city of Al Ain (eastern Abu Dhabi, on the border with Oman) and the surrounding areas.

This contract strengthens FCC's presence (through aqualia) in the Middle East, which is a strategic area for the company's global expansion.

Aqualia has been operating since 2011 in Saudi Arabia, where it is implementing an innovative project to search for and repair leaks in Riyadh's water network in order to increase the network's efficiency.-TradeArabia News ervice