The Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) has announced that it had received five competitive bids for the development of the Hadda and Arana Independent Sewage Treatment Plant (ISTP) projects in the Makkah province.

This milestone follows the issuance of the Request for Proposal (RFP) documents for both projects in January 2025, as part of SWPC’s commitment to develop water infrastructure through public-private partnership (PPP) based on the build-own-operate-yransfer (BOOT) model for a duration of 25 years, said SWPC.

The bids were submitted by the following consortia comprising both local and international companies, with the consortia submitting a separate proposal for each project:

• Al Fanar Company and Civil Works Company (CWC);

• GS Inima Company and Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies Company;

• Hassan Allam Holding and Tawzea;

• Miahona Company, Marafiq Company and Buhur for Investment Company; and

• Metito Utilities Company, Etihad Water and Electricity Company and SkyBridge Company.

The submitted proposals will now be evaluated and once the preferred bidder is selected, development of the projects is expected to commence next year, with commercial operations targeted for 2028, it added.

According to SWPC, the initial design capacity of the Arana ISTP is 250,000 cu m per day, expandable to 500,000 cu m per day, while the Hadda ISTP is designed for 100,000 cu m per day, expandable to 250,000 cu m per day.

Both projects also include the development of treated sewage effluent (TSE) reuse systems, including transmission pipelines and storage tanks, aimed at maximising water reuse in various applications, it added.