Saudi Water Partnership Company has invited expressions of interest (EoIs) for the Rayis-Rabigh Independent Water Transmission Pipeline (IWTP) project that has a transmission capacity of 900,000 cu m per day.

In a statement, SWPC said that it will conduct a competitive process to select a developer/developer consortium for the 100-km-long pipeline project. It added that the project will be implemented on a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis.

The deadline for submitting the bids has been set at September 30, it said.

Furthermore, the successful bidder will provide the entire transmission capacity to SWPC under a 35-year water transmission agreement, the statement continued.

Under the terms of the agreement, SWPC’s obligations will be backed by a credit support agreement from the Saudi government, it said.

The Saudi government aims to achieve its two major goals of slashing the water-demand-supply gap in the kingdom and provision of 90% of national urban supply through desalinated water to cut reliance on non-renewable ground sources through its Independent Water Transmission Pipeline (IWTP) programme.

SWPC has signed up Synergy Consulting IFA as the lead and financial advisor, while Amer Al Amr Law Firm is the legal advisor for the project and Fichtner GmbH & Co. KG the technical advisor.