Juranah independent strategic water reservoir will have a capacity of 2.5 million cu m. (Image for illustration purpose only)

Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) has invited expressions of interest (EoIs) for the development of Juranah independent strategic water reservoir located in the Makkah region that will boast a total storage capacity of 2.5 million cu m.

The project will be implemented on a BOOT (build, own, operate and transfer) model and the development work will include the water reservoir and all associated infrastructure and facilities.

SWPC said a private sector developer/developer consortium will be selected for the project following a competitive tender process, which will be responsible for the development, financing, procurement, implementation and operation and maintenance of the water reservoir. The successful bidder, through a special purpose vehicle, will provide the required storage capacity to SWPC under a 30-year water storage agreement.

The utility company said its obligations under the agreement will be backed by a credit support agreement from the Saudi government.

According to SWPC, the Juranah Independent Strategic Water Reservoir project comes in accordance with Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Water Strategy 2030 that is aimed at boosting the water sector’s resilience to respond to emergencies and disruptions as well as to provide peak load management of Hajj water demand.

The main objectives of this strategy are to increase water storage to seven days of water demand by 2030 and to enhance the storage capabilities to manage peak water demand during the Hajj season, it added.