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Aljomaih team engages lenders for $2.2bn water pipeline PPP

7 March 2025

 

A developer team led by Riyadh-headquartered Aljomaih Energy & Water has engaged lenders for the SR8.5bn ($2.2bn) independent water transmission pipeline (IWTP) project it recently won in Saudi Arabia. 

The consortium signed a contract agreement to develop and operate Saudi Arabia’s second IWTP project with Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) this week.

The project will link Jubail in the kingdom’s Eastern Province and Buraydah in the Qassim region over a 587-kilometre (km) pipeline that can transmit 650,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d) of water.

In addition to Aljomaih Energy & Water, the winning developer consortium includes Nesma Company and Buhur for Investment Company.

The team of lenders, which may still change, comprises mainly Saudi and some regional entities, a source close to the project tells MEED.

UK-headquartered Herbert, Smith & Freehills (HSF) is providing legal advisory services, while Dubai-based Future Water & Power Consulting (FWPC) is providing technical advisory services to the lenders.

The Aljomaih, Nesma and Buhur team proposed to develop the Jubail-Buraydah IWTP project for SR3.59468 a cubic metre.

The consortium saw off competition from another team comprising the local Vision Invest and UAE-based Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa).

The Vision Invest/Taqa team offered to develop the project for SR5.04214/cm.

The Jubail-Buraydah IWTP project is larger than the kingdom’s first IWTP linking Rayis and Rabigh, which a consortium including the local Alkhorayef Water & Power Technologies Company and Spain’s Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios will develop and operate at a cost of SR7.78bn ($2bn).

SWPC issued the request for proposals for the Jubail-Buraydah IWTP scheme to prequalified bidders in October 2023.

The transaction advisory team for the client comprises the US/India’s Synergy Consulting as financial adviser and the local Amer Al-Amr and Germany’s Fichtner Consulting as legal and technical advisers, respectively.

An advisory team comprising UAE-based financial advisory Cranmore, UK legal advisory services firm Pinsent Masons and Canadian engineering services firm WSP advised the winning developer consortium.

SWPC’s obligations under the water transfer agreement will be guaranteed by a credit support agreement entered into by the Finance Ministry on behalf of the Saudi government.

The project is part of the kingdom’s National Water Strategy 2030, which aims to reduce the water demand-supply gap and ensure desalinated water accounts for 90% of the national urban supply to reduce reliance on non-renewable ground sources.

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Chinese contractors win record market share; Cairo grapples with political and fiscal challenges; Stronger upstream project spending beckons in 2025

Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the March 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

> GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Gulf hits six-month growth streak
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Jennifer Aguinaldo

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