National Water Company (NWC) has announced the signing of a major agreement with the Saudi-French-Philippine consortium to operate water and environmental treatment services in the northwestern cluster, which includes the regions of Madinah and Tabuk.

The consortium comprises Saudi Arabia’s Miyahuna, French Groupe Saur and Philippines-based Manila Water. The SR198 million ($52.5 million) contract, which is the first of its kind by NWC with the private sector, is for a period of seven years.

According to NWC, the winning consortium has experience in water services management, as Miyahuna (a subsidiary of Roya Investment Company of the Abunayyan and Al-Muhidib groups) is a leading developer of the water and sanitation infrastructure through public-private partnership (PPP) contracts.

The French Groupe Saur, is a major international water service provider serving 12 million customers worldwide, has been present in the kingdom through water supply, sewage treatment, industrial cooling services in Jubail and Yanbu in partnership with Marafeq.

Manila Water is the operator of the concession contract on the east side of Manila, one of the largest and most successful concession contracts in Asia.

The contract will contribute to improving services, operational performance and the level of operations at the sector level in general,  said NWC.

NWC has also awarded a major contract for the development of a 65-km-long sewage network in the Al Halaqa Al Gharbiya and Qayyem districts within the Taif governorate. The scope of work includes construction of main lines, networks and linking it to 4,100 households, thus catering to 78,000 residents in the area, said a top official.

It is being implemented at an investment of more than SR96 million, stated Engineer Mohammed bin Saleh Al Ghamdi, Head of the Western Sector.

Meanwhile, NWC has started the operation of the Rabigh sewage treatment plant (STP) project built at an investment of SR110 million in Makkah region.

With a production capacity of 15,000 cu m per day, the new plant caters to the needs of more than 75,000 residents in the area.

Al Ghamdi said that operation of the STP project in Rabigh comes in conjunction with the closure of the previous random dump of the wastewater in Rabigh.

Among other developments, NWC said it has signed a three-year deal with Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) for supply of potable and treated water to the most ambitious entertainment, sports and the arts destination in the kingdom.

As per the MoU, the Saudi company will supply Qiddiya with 20,000 cu m of potable water per day, and around 70,000 cu m of treated water per day.

The agreement is part of NWC’s service plans for sustainable environmental development, that aims to support strategic projects and serve the kingdom’s economic, touristic, heritage and environmental goals of Vision 2030, it stated.

CEO Mohammad bin Ahmed Mowkley said: “We are currently implementing strategic and vital projects aimed at supporting the tourism sector in line with Vision 2030, which aspires to diversify economic income and encourage private investment.”

“As part of these projects, NWC will supply Qiddiya with potable and treated water services. Such projects will help achieve our strategic goals and raise the efficiency of services provided to our partners in the various regions of the kingdom,” he stated.

The scope of work includes laying of sewage network pipelines in Darmaa and Al Muzahmiyya governorates and linking them to the treatment plant at Qiddiya, he added.