Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) has received three bids for the contract to develop Saudi Arabia's first independent strategic water reservoir (ISWR) project in Mecca. The Juranah ISWR scheme is the first of several reservoir projects SWPC intends to develop with private sector partners. It has a design capacity of 2.5 million cubic metres. The following companies submitted proposals for the contract: Abdul Aziz al-Ajlan Sons Company for Commercial & Real Estate Investment (local) / Orascom Construction (Egypt) Nesma Company (local) / Al-Jomaih Energy & Water Company (local) / Buhur for Investment Company (local) Vision International Investment Company (local) / Gulf Investment Corporation (Kuwait) / Taqa  (UAE) The reservoir project is expected to start commercial operation in 2027. SWPC qualified 17 companies that can bid for the contract in May last year. Previously referred to as Mecca 1, the Juranah ISWR project will be implemented using a build, own, operate and transfer model. The project includes a water reservoir and associated infrastructure and facilities. The project supports Saudi Arabia’s goal to increase municipal water storage capacity to an average of three days in 2022 and seven days by 2030. In addition, the government aims to increase water storage capacity to an equivalent of 20 days of Hajj demand in Mecca and 40 days of Hajj demand in Medina by 2022. Two other schemes are planned for Mecca under SWPC’s 2020 seven-year planning statement. The Mecca 2 ISWR will have a storage capacity of 6 million cubic metres, while the Mecca 3 ISWR will have a capacity of 8 million cubic metres. A team of US/India-based Synergy Consulting, Canada’s WSP and the local Amer al-Amr are providing financial, technical and legal consultancy services to SWPC for the Mecca ISWR projects. SWPC is planning to develop six other ISWR projects. These are located in the Eastern Province, Medina, Qassim, Tabuk, Riyadh and Jizan. (ICE RIYADH)

Fonte notizia: Meed