Global Arab Network | Bidders tour site for Bahrain's first sanitary privatization project

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Bidders tour site for Bahrain's first sanitary privatization project

Global Arab Network - - George Haddad

Wednesday, 08 July 2009 18:05

A site tour was conducted today for approximately 100 representatives from 12 international consortium of major developers from around the world who have been prequalified to bid for Bahrain's first sanitary engineering privatization project.

The tour to show the bidders the site for the greenfield Muharraq Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and the proposed pipeline route and sewer conveyance system - which is also part of the project - was arranged to follow a Pre-Bid Conference which was held yesterday.

'This project is a major undertaking and the winning contender will have to design, finance, construct, commission, test, own, operate and maintain the plant and sewer system in Muharraq, as well as provide associated facilities and network extension and modification works. We consider this tour to be a key part of the process to provide as much information as possible to the bidders.' said Mr. Khalifa Ebrahim Al Mansoor, Assistant Undersecretary of Sanitary Engineering at the Ministry of Works.

The tour followed the pipeline route for 15 km long & 15m Deep Gravity Sewer trunk main. This is a new concept being introduced in the Kingdom which in addition to carrying influent to the new plant will ultimately enable the abandonment of a great number of pumping stations, thereby creating much higher availability and reliability, which is forecasted to accommodate requirements for the next 50 years.

The plot for the Muharraq STP was also visited. Details on the current status of reclamation work on the site - which will be completed by March 2010 - was provided as was information on the location of the plant in proximity to the Hidd Industrial Area. The visit culminated in further meetings to answer technical site questions.

The new Muharraq Sewage Treatment Plant has been jointly tendered by the Ministries of Works, Finance and the Economic Development Board on a 27-year Build Own and Operate (BOO) contract. The sewer conveyance system will be developed on a Build Own Transfer (BOT) contract, which will allow for future privatization of the Muharraq network.

The project is the first tender for private sector investment in the state owned sanitary services sector in Bahrain and forms part of a wider ongoing national Privatization Strategy and Implementation Plan (PSIP). This is currently under execution by the Ministry of Works in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and the Economic Development Board and a consultant consortium comprising lead consultant, HSBC Bank Middle East, and supporting entities, Fichtner GmbH and Norton Rose (Middle East) LLP.

'In the sanitary sector the move towards privatizing Sanitary Engineering Services will provide further high quality services to the people of Bahrain and is a reflection of how the Ministry of Works operates in cooperation with society, the community, Government and the private sector through partnerships. The plant will have an initial design capacity of 100,000 m3/day, and the Government has the option to expand the capacity during the BOO term to 160,000 m3/day,' added Mr. Al Mansoor.

The project is part of efforts to ensure sustained development for the long-term future of the Kingdom and to realizing the nation's aspirations, including achieving a world-class sanitary infrastructure.

Global Arab Network

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