Dubai Investment Park Development Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dubai Investments (DI), has signed a 30-year concession with leading international water and waste water treatment company Metito (Overseas) Limited for the construction of a 40,000 cu m per day sewage treatment plant at its upcoming Business Park in Dubai, UAE.

The project will enable the Business Park to use the treated effluent for its landscaping, irrigation, golf course and industrial requirements on an economical basis, according to Khalid Kalban, chief executive officer of DI.

"The concession has been awarded on a build-own-operate-transfer (Boot) basis which significantly makes it the first project to be operated on such a basis in the UAE. Further, this is the first Boot project for sewage treatment in the whole of the GCC," continues Kalban.

Under the terms of the agreement, Metito (Overseas) will be fully responsible for the design, construction, financing and operation of the sewage treatment plant.

According to Kassem Mazloum, president of the Metito Group, the project has been designed in a way that will allow the treatment plant to be expanded in phases, in accordance with the growing requirements of the Business Park.

"As and when the Business Park attracts more and more occupants, we will increase the capacity of the sewage plant from its initial phase to 40,000 cu m per day," says Mazloum.

He continues: "This project illustrates the company's ability to evolve and venture into the private sector of water management - a first in the Gulf.

"A creative financial model was the key to securing this project with revenue management, capitalisation and revenue growth as an internal part or the funding mechanism."

"This is the 10th project awarded to Metito in the past year with the others being located in Egypt and Indonesia, where the projects primarily consist of sewage treatment for irrigation use and also sea water desalination for drinking purposes," adds Mazloum.

The Metito group sold its local subsidiary in Saudi Arabia (Metito Arabia Industries) two years ago to US Filter of California, US. This enabled the company to pursue its long-term policy and expand outside Saudi Arabia.

The firm set up its office and operations in Sharjah, which now serves as the regional headquarters for the Gulf, North Africa and Asia. Independent offices were rapidly opened in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Egypt, India and Indonesia.

Metito says it has since seen exceptional growth in the area to more than triple its turnover in two years, making it the largest local water and wastewater solutions company in the region.