At a cost of 9 million Omani Rials Oman Power and Water Procurement Company signed Agreement for the new Qurayyat & Aseelah Temporary Desalinat.
Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (Member of Nama Group) the sole procurer of all new power generation and water desalination capacity in the Sultanate, signedon Mondayat Intercontinental Muscat the Water Purchase Agreement to establish the Qurayyat & Aseelah Temporary Desalination Plants with Muscat Water LLC.
The signing ceremony was held under the patronage of His Excellency; Mohammed bin Abdullah al Mahrouqi, Chairman of the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW).In attendance were a number of dignitaries including government officials, as well as board of directors and representatives from the consortium and electricity and water sector in the Sultanate.
The agreement was signed by Engineer Yaqoob binSaif Al Kiyumi – Chief OperatingOfficer of OPWP and on behalf of Muscat WaterMr. Haitham Al Fannah – Chief Operations Officer of Al Sulaimi Group Holding.
The scope of the Project which will be located in Qurayyat in Muscat governorate and JalanBani Bu Ali in Sharqiyah South governorate includes the design, construction, ownership, operation and maintenance of a high efficiency reverse osmosis desalination facilities. The total Potable Water output of Qurayyat plant is 8,000 m3 per day (1.76 million gallon per day) whereas total Potable Water output of Aseelah plant is 10,000 m3 per day (2.2 million gallon per day). The projects will be structured as Independent Water Projects (IWPs) with OPWP purchasing the Potable Water produced by the project under a Water Purchase Agreement.
Speaking at the event Engineer Naif bin Ali Al Abri, Acting Director of Projects Development at OPWP saidthat this project ispart of temporary and urgent desalination water projects being developed by Oman Power and Water Procurement Company in coordination with the Public Authority for Electricity and Water,to keep up with the growing demand for water in the Sultanate of Oman.
It is expected that this project will contribute to creating jobopportunities for the national cadres and create contractual opportunities for local business and enrich the Omani content through the award of the project to one of the national companies operating in this field. Most of the project’s materials will be manufactured or procured locally through specialized local companies. Omani technical cadres will be contributing in the manufacturing of the plants in the various engineering, technical and occupational safety fields.
OPWP started the procurement process to develop the project in June 2015 where 5 companies participated in the tendering process. Bidders have competed in their technical and financial bids, and through the evaluation and negotiation process carried out by the company, the project was awarded to the consortium of AquaSwiss and Al Sulaimi Group Holding.Dr. Manfred Reid, the Head of Global Business Development from AquaSwiss  AG said that, “We are happy and proud for obtaining the opportunity to provide a technical solution to convert saline water into drinking water, serving the demands of thousands of people in the regions of Asselah and Qurayyat, making their life safer and more comfortable. In this respect we understand this project not only as a mere business, but also as a contribution to social responsibility.
We’d like to thank OPWP for identifying this demand of fresh water in the region and for developing these projects for Asselah and Qurayyat. Muscat Water is lucky to contribute its part, and once we can see the people from Asselah and Quarayyat benefiting from a stable and secure water supply we’ll see that we have accomplished our mission.
MUSCAT WATER LLC is a coalition of The Desalination experts, AquaSwiss AG of Switzerland, with world’s leading desalination technologies and Al Sulaimi Group Holding – a leading Omani Group with expertise in various engineering branches and specializes in seawater intakes, water network, water plants O&M services and fabrication for the water and oil industry. Muscat Water LLC aims to bring drinking and potable water at very competitive prices through the unique differentiating technologies, to bring a high local Omanicontent, and to develop significant in – country-  value through the deployment of Omani manpower and local manufacturing capabilities in its projects. Thus OPWP and Muscat Water LLC share the same motive of meeting the growing need ofwater and creating more employment opportunities within the country through the projects.