Cobra, Marubeni in race for major Saudi water pipeline project

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Saudi Arabia - Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) has announced that a total of 14 developer/developer consortiums have been prequalified for the Rayis-Rabigh Independent Water Transmission Pipeline (IWTP) project that has a total transmission capacity of 900,000 cu m per day.

The list of the pre-qualified bidders (lead and/or technical) for the project include global players such as Spanish infrastructure major Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios; Japan's Marubeni Corporation; and Chinese group Harbour Engineering Company in addition to regional firms - Utico and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (from UAE), and Kuwait's Gulf Investment Corporation.

SWPC said that in December last year, a total of 31 companies had expressed their interest in the Rayis-Rabigh project, of which 14 were Saudi firms.

The major local firms which have now been prequalified are Abdul Aziz Al Ajlan Sons; Al-Fahd Trading Industries & Contracting; Alkhorayef Water & Power Technologies; Mowah; Al-Rawaf Trading & Contracting; Mutlaq Al Ghowairi; Nesma and Vision International Invest Company.

SWPC in an earlier notification said it will be conducting a competitive process to select a developer/developer consortium for the 100-km-long pipeline project which will be implemented on a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis.

As per a deal inked with SWPC, the successful bidder will provide the entire transmission capacity to the Saudi utility company under a 35-year water transmission agreement.

Through this project, being implemented under the kingdom's IWTP programme, the Saudi government aims to achieve two major goals of slashing the water-demand-supply gap and provision of 90% of national urban supply through desalinated water to cut reliance on non-renewable ground sources, it added.