Oman awards $2bn contract to ensure non-stop water supply

Oman has awarded a major contract to a consortium led by a French utility company to provide a 24-hour water supply to its 2.3 million residents.

The 15-year performance-based contract, valued at €2 billion ($2.3 billion), was awarded by the state-run Oman Water and Wastewater Services Company (Nama Water Services) to a group comprising Suez and two local partners — National Trading Company and National Energy Center.

The consortium will provide water and wastewater services to residents of Muscat and the North Sharqiyah and South Sharqiyah governorates (Cluster 1), Suez said in a statement.

The scope of the water services contract includes operation and maintenance of 240 wells and 10,700 kilometres of pipelines to distribute 470,000 cubic metres per day (m³/day) of drinking water.

It also includes the refurbishment and upgrading of four desalination plants and the operation of more than 400,000 smart meters.

The wastewater services pact comprises the operation and maintenance of 22 wastewater treatment plants with a total treatment capacity of 280,000 m³/day, 3,000km of sewer networks and 400km of treated effluent networks, and the installation and operation of new wastewater house connections.

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The project aims to reduce water losses from 34 percent to 11 percent by 2040.

Suez has been operating in the Middle East since 1956, and its regional portfolio includes projects across Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Jordan.

In December, Nama Water Services unveiled an estimated OMR11 billion ($29 billion) capital expenditure plan to meet the country’s rising water demand through 2050.