Italian construction and engineering giant Webuild bagged three contracts in Saudi Arabia with a combined value of €1.8 billion ($2 billion) in May.

The contracts are for a high-speed railway and a water treatment plant, Webuild said in separate press statements.

On Thursday, 11 May, Webuild announced that with its Saudi joint-venture partner Shibh Al Jazira Contracting Company (SAJCO), it signed a €1.4 billion ($1.5 billion) contract to design and build 57 kilometres of a high-speed railway in giga-project NEOM in Northwest Saudi Arabia.

The contract covers the design and build for the majority part of the Connector, the railway connecting Oxagon, NEOM’s centre for advanced and clean industries, with The Line, its futuristic city.

The JV agreement is split 70:30 between Webuild, through its local branch and unit Salini Saudi Arabia, and SAJCO. The partnership includes civil works for the two high-speed and two freight railway tracks, with Webuild leading the execution of work, the statement said.

The contract also covers viaducts, road bridges, and road and rail underpasses to facilitate train speeds up to 230 km/hour.

Water treatment plant

Two contracts worth €408 million ($439 million) for constructing and operating a water treatment plant for Aramco’s ZULUF onshore oil facilities were bagged by subsidiary Fisia Italimpianti. 

In a press statement issued on Friday, 5 May, Webuild said the contracts involve the construction and management of a water treatment plant, which forms a vital part of the Arab Heavy (AH) Crude Oil Increment of ZULUF field development programme by Aramco.

A $327 million Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for the water treatment plant for Zuluf Central Processing Facilities was awarded by the consortium of Almar Water Solutions and Aljomaih Energy and Water Co.

The statement said the plant would treat, degas and filter water for iron and suspended solids at a maximum production capacity of 185,000 cubic metres per day.

The water will be reinjected in the oil wells to facilitate the production of Arab Heavy crude oil by maintaining pressure in the wells, the statement said, adding that the project is expected to take three years to complete.

The second contract worth $112 million - in which Fisia Italimpianti owns a 20 per cent share in a joint venture with Almar Water Solutions, Aljomaih Energy and Water Co and Aquatech International – involves the operation and maintenance of the completed plant for 25 years, the statement noted

In March 2022, Zawya Projects had reported that the Zuluf water treatment project is being developed under BOOT (build, own, operate, and transfer) scheme.

(Writing by Senthil Palanisamy; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)