Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies Company (AWPT)-led consortium has signed a build, operate and transfer (BOT) agreement with state-owned Saudi Water Partnership Company for the Rayis–Rabigh independent water transmission pipeline (IWTP) project.

Construction will be completed in 30 months, with commercial operation expected to begin in the second quarter of 2026 for a period of 35 years, the company said in a statement to the Saudi stock exchange on Wednesday. 

AWPT, which owns 50 percent of the consortium, is moving ahead to achieve the financial closing. 

In July, the Saudi firm announced that it was selected as the preferred bidder for the development of the Rayis–Rabigh IWTP project with a levelised cost of SAR1.25678 per cubic meter.

The project will have a transmission capacity of 500,000 m3/ day and a length of 150 kilometres to provide Makkah and Madinah regions with drinking water by the first quarter of 2026.

On 7 March 2023, SWPC said it had received bids from three consortiums for the IWTP project.

(Reporting by D Madhura; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)