ACWA wins water capacity expansion project in Oman

ACWA subsidiary NOMAC Oman will undertake the Independent Water Project (IWP) on a BOO (Build, Own, Operate) basis at a site in Barka, 65km north of Muscat.

Located next to ACWA?s existing plant in Barka, the expansion project was awarded to the firm by Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) and was tendered in order to help the country meet a projected shortfall in its water desalination production capacity.

ACWA Power Barka chairman Mohammad Abunayyan said, ?We are proud that we are able to provide an innovative solution where ACWA Power?s main philosophy of ?generating electricity and producing desalinated water at the lowest possible tariff? comes to life through creative thinking in financing, design and operations such as using the synergies of existing facilities of ACWA Power Barka.

?In the medium to long-term this expansion project will prove to be a well-sought solution to balance shortfalls of current desalinated water production capacity in the Sultanate,? he added.

Once the firm has received final approval from the Omani authorities, construction has been scheduled to start before the end of Q3 2012 and completed by Q4 2013.

According to ACWA Power Barka, the company?s bid to carry out the expansion project is in line with its attempts to solidify its position in Oman, while increasing its contracted production capacity in desalination production from 2.3 Mm?/day to 5 Mm?/day by 2014.