Bahrain moves Sitra IWPP prequalifications

20 December 2024

Bahrain’s Electricity & Water Authority (EWA) has moved the last day for interested companies to submit their statements of qualifications (SOQs) for a contract to develop the state’s fourth independent water and power project (IWPP).

The Sitra IWPP is a combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant, which is expected to have a production capacity of about 1,200MW of electricity. The project’s seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination facility will have a production capacity of 30 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD) of potable water.

According to industry sources, EWA moved the last day for SOQ submissions from 11 to 25 December.

The integrated plant replaces the previously planned Al-Dur 3 IWPP. It is expected to be fully operational by the second quarter of 2029.

It will be developed on a brownfield site and strategically located in Sitra “to ensure resource efficiency and service delivery”. It is expected to be fully operational by the second quarter of 2029.

MEED previously reported that the client intends to float the tender for the Sitra IWPP to prequalified utility developers by May 2025. 

The state utility is procuring Bahrain’s first independent water project (IWP) in Al-Hidd along with the Sitra IWPP.

The Al-Hidd SWRO plant is expected to have a production capacity of about 60 MIGD of potable water.

The two BOO projects will be procured under a public-private partnership framework for 20-25 years.

Sixty representatives from utility developers and contracting firms attended a market-sounding event for the two separate utility build, own and operate (BOO) projects in Manama on 21 October.

The firms that sent representatives to the event in Manama include France’s Engie, Japan’s Mitsui, Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power, AlJomaih Electricity & Water Company and Ajlan & Bros, and Kuwait’s Gulf Investment Corporation, among others, said sources.

EWA’s transaction advisory team comprises KPMG Fakhro as the financial consultant, WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff as the technical consultant and Trowers & Hamlins as the legal consultant.

Bahrain’s first three IWPPs are Al-Dur 1, Al-Hidd and Al-Dur 2.

MEED understands that EWA’s Sitra IWPP will likely be Bahrain’s last CCGT plant project. Solar power is expected to account for all future electricity generation capacity.

Bahrain aims to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2060.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13161142/main.gif
Jennifer Aguinaldo
Related Articles
  • Aramco and Emerson partner for corrosion management

    3 June 2026

    Saudi Aramco has entered into a partnership with US-based industrial automation provider Emerson to jointly develop corrosion management systems.

    As part of the corrosion research and development collaboration, Aramco will “combine its expertise and intellectual property with Emerson’s advanced corrosion solutions to digitalise and transform corrosion management”, Emerson said in a statement.

    For Aramco, corrosion management is a strategic priority that is closely linked to operational performance, safety and environmental stewardship. Continuous corrosion monitoring can replace labour-intensive and potentially hazardous manual inspections while providing a reliable stream of digital data to support decision-making and asset integrity management.

    The collaboration builds on the companies’ existing relationship. In May, Emerson announced the deployment of an artificial intelligence-driven optimisation system for Aramco.

    The current phase of that initiative focuses on expanding a hybrid modelling approach for hydrocracker units across Aramco’s operations. The expansion is expected to improve model accuracy while demonstrating the scalability and robustness of the AI-driven optimisation strategy across the company’s asset base.

    Emerson has steadily expanded its presence in Saudi Arabia over the past 16 years. Key milestones include the opening of facilities in Jubail, Dammam and Dhahran, as well as the launch of a manufacturing hub at King Salman Energy Park (Spark) in 2024.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17091834/main4428.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Iranian drones hit Kuwait International airport’s Terminal 1

    3 June 2026

    Kuwait International airport was struck by a fresh wave of hostile drone attacks on 3 June. The drones caused significant structural damage to Terminal 1 and wounded several individuals.

    Brigadier General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, official spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, blamed the strikes on “criminal Iranian aggression”. He confirmed that the injured had been evacuated for medical care and stated that the armed forces remain in a state of complete readiness to secure the state.

    The incident is the third major drone strike on the hub in recent months. On 1 April, a drone strike hit fuel tanks managed by Kuwait Aviation Fuelling Company, sparking massive fires. On March 28, another multi-drone raid severely damaged the airport’s primary radar systems.

    The airport is being expanded with the construction of a new terminal, and works on the project are expected to be completed by 2027. It consists of three packages.

    These are:

    • Package 1: Main works – $4,329m
    • Package 2: Multistorey car park building, connection roads, bridges and landscaping works – $550m
    • Package 3: Aircraft parking, runways and service buildings – $950m

    Turkiye’s Limak Holding is executing the main works.

    The terminal building was designed by Foster+Partners and Gulf Consult.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17089683/main.gif
    Colin Foreman
  • Consortium signs PPA for Taweelah C power plant

    3 June 2026

    Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) has confirmed it has signed a power-purchase agreement (PPA) with a developer consortium for the Taweelah C independent power producer (IPP) project.

    The agreement, which will run through to 2050, was signed with Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa), Al-Jomaih Energy & Water Company (Saudi Arabia) and Sembcorp Industries (Singapore), the utility said in a statement.

    Taqa will own a 60% stake in the project, with the international consortium holding 40%. The ADX-listed company will also own 40% of the project’s operations and maintenance company, while the international consortium will own 60%.

    Last month, MEED exclusively revealed that the winning consortium had been selected for the project, with the PPA initially expected to be signed in mid-May.

    It is understood that China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC) will be the engineering, procurement and construction contractor.

    The combined-cycle gas turbine plant will have a capacity of about 2.5GW. It will be located at the Al-Taweelah power and desalination complex, about 50 kilometres northeast of Abu Dhabi city.

    Taweelah C is part of Ewec’s wider programme to support the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative and the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Strategic Target 2035.

    Ewec plans to raise solar power capacity to 18GW and wind capacity to 2.6GW by 2035, while reducing the carbon intensity of its power generation by more than half compared with 2019.

    The Taweelah C IPP is now expected to start commercial operations in 2029. The facility had previously been scheduled to begin commercial operations in the fourth quarter of 2028.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17089163/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Local contractor wins Oman water transmission contract

    3 June 2026

     

    Local contractor Al-Jesr United has won the main engineering, procurement and construction contract to reinforce Oman’s Sur water transmission system.

    The contract, awarded by state-owned utility Nama Water Services (NWS), forms part of a project to improve the reliability of potable water supply to Sur, a coastal city about 200 kilometres southeast of Muscat.

    The scheme, estimated to cost $80m, is designed to strengthen the network’s resilience during peak-demand periods and emergencies.

    The scope of work includes upgrading the pumps at the Sur DP Pump Station with variable frequency drive units and replacing ductile iron pipes and fittings within the facility. It also covers about 17km of new transmission pipelines.

    According to regional projects tracker MEED Projects, at least five local firms submitted commercial bids for the contract, which was tendered in August 2025.

    These include:

    • Al-Jesr United
    • Al-Rafaa Trading & Contracting
    • Gulf Petrochemical Services & Trading
    • Professionals Trading
    • Sarooj Construction Company

    In June 2024, NWS awarded a $1.3m contract for the project’s design and construction supervision to Muscat-headquartered Ibn Khaldun Almadaen Engineering Consultants.

    Sur is home to one of the sultanate’s key desalination plants, which supplies potable water to communities across eastern Oman. 

    The water transmission project will support network expansion in areas such as Al-Aigah and Ahiae, as the existing ductile iron pipeline serving Wilayat Sur is no longer sufficient to meet current and future demand.

    Construction is expected to start in the third quarter of 2026 and take about two years to complete.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17088454/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Syria to tender gas plant contract

    3 June 2026

     

    Syria is preparing to tender a project to rehabilitate the Conoco gas plant in Deir ez-Zor province in the east of the country within the next 10 weeks, according to a document published by the US-Syria Business Council.

    The gas plant was reclaimed by Syria’s military during an offensive in January this year.

    It is Syria’s largest gas plant, but is severely damaged and cannot be operated in its current condition.

    Before the country’s civil war, it processed 13 million cubic metres of gas a day.

    The US-based companies ConocoPhillips and Novaterra signed a memorandum of understanding with the state-owned Syria Petroleum Company (SPC) to restore the facility in November last year.

    Syria is currently in the midst of a push to ramp up oil and gas production and establish itself as a regional energy hub.

    Earlier this year, Yousef Qiblawy, chief executive of SPC, said that his organisation was aiming to double national oil production before 2027 and boost output to 800,000 barrels a day by the end of 2029, not including offshore production.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17088320/main.jpg
    Wil Crisp