A total of 22 leading utility developers are in the race for the Jubail-Buraydah Independent Water Transmission pipeline project in Saudi Arabia, which on completion, will have a 650,000 cu m per day transmission capacity.

Announcing the list of pre-qualified bidders, the Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) said it includes top international players such as Spanish infrastructure major Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios; Japan's Marubeni Corporation; Italy's Sicim; Hong Kong's CNIC Corporation as well as Chinese groups - Gezhouba Group Overseas Investment Company; Harbour Engineering Company; Railway Construction Corporation and State Construction Engineering Corporation and Norinco.

In addition to these, there are a few regional firms in the fray including Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa); Kuwait's Gulf Investment Corporation and Bahrain-based energy investment company Lamar Holding.

SWPC said that in December last year, a total of 32 companies had expressed their interest in the project, of which 14 were Saudi firms.

The big local firms which have now been prequalified are Abdul Aziz Al Ajlan Sons; Abdullah Ibrahim Al Sayegh & Sons; AliShar Contracting Company; Alkhorayef Water & Power Technologies; Al Sharif Group; Bin Omairah Contracting; Mowah; 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 603-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, it added.

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