Twelve leading international consortiums have submitted prequalification bids for independent water projects (IWPs) at Sohar and Barka areas of Oman, said a report.

These include France-based Veolia (with Marubeni Corporation); Japanese engineering group Itochu (with Degremon); French utility GDF Suez; Tedagua (with Sogex Oman); Korea Water Resources Corporation - K-Water; Utico and Posco E&E Company; Abengoa (with National Power & Water Company); Aqualia (with Samsung Engineering Company); Valoriza, Hyflux, GS Inima (with GS Engineering & Construction and Acciona Aqua); and Sojitz Corporation, JGC Corporation, and Citic Construction Company (with Al Sulaimi Group).

The state-owned Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP), which is overseeing the procurement of the two water schemes, said two successful bidders will go on to secure a licence each to develop, finance, design, engineer, construct, own, operate and maintain either one of the two water-only schemes, reported the Oman Observer.

The Barka IWP, with a contracted desalination capacity of 281,000 cu m per day, will be the larger of the two schemes, while Sohar IWP will be sized at 250,000 cu m per day of desalination capacity, it stated.

The submissions are currently being evaluated and the Omani firm is likely to award one of the contracts in September.