Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) plans to develop three independent water projects (IWPs), which will together add 240,000 cu m per day of new domestic water capacity, a report said.

The projects at Salalah, Sharqiyah and Duqm represent the single largest procurement of water desalination capacity, added the Oman Observer report.

The Nama Group has issued a request for qualifications (RfQ) seeking detailed qualifications from experienced international utilities as part of a competitive tender for the IWPs. The successful bidder will be awarded the contract for the development, financing, design, engineering, construction, ownership, operation and maintenance of one or more of the IWPs, according to OPWP.

The largest of the three IWPs is planned in Salalah with a 100,000-cu-m-per-day capacity.

The facility will be developed on a 34.6-hectare area adjacent to the existing independent water and power project (IWPP) of Sembcorp, the report said.

As a water-only scheme, the project will run on electricity supplied by Dhofar Power Company under a long-term power supply agreement. Full desalination capacity is scheduled to become available by January 1, 2019.

At Sharqiyah, OPWP has proposed a reverse osmosis-based seawater desalination plant of 80,000 cu m per day capacity. An early phase of 40,000 cu m per day capacity is targeted for operation by May 1, 2019, and full commercial operations by May 1, 2020, according to the report.

Duqm will host an IWP with a capacity of 60,000 cu m per day. Specifics with regard to the location and commercial operation date will be provided during the tendering process, the report said, citing the OPWP.

The last date for submission of qualifications (SoQ) for all three IWPs is January 17, 2016, the report said.