GMR (Great Man-made River) Water Supply Project, Libya
Key Data:
Phase I
Provide 2 million m³/day along 1,200km pipeline from As-Sarir and Tazerbo to the Ajdabiya reservoir to Benghazi and Sirt
Phase II
Pumping from the south western aquifer (Fezzan) to Tripoli and Jeffara plain
Designed for future expansion in Phase III
Phase III
Expansion of existing Phase 1 system; additional 1.68 million m³/day (increasing total capacity to 3.68 million m³/day); 8 new pumping stations; 700km of new pipeline
Supply 138,000m³/day to Tobruk and the coast; new wellfield at Al Jaghboub; reservoir south of Tobruk; 500km of new pipeline
Phase IV
Extension of distribution network; construction of a pipeline linking the Ajdabiya reservoir to Tobruk
Phase V
Connection of the eastern and western systems into a single network in Sirt
Sarir to Sirt
800km
Tazerbo to Benghazi
783km
Average water flow rate
0.95m/s
Transit time
Around 9 days
Murzuk basin raw water soluble salt content
300ppm
Kufra basin raw water soluble salt content
250ppm
Phase I power demand
65MW
Power lines
Sarir wellfield - 66kV transmission line; Tazerbo wellfield - 220kV national power line, transformed down to 66kV at substation
Project Timeline:
Project initiated
1983
Work commenced
1984
Initial soil resistivity survey
1989
First water received
April 1990
Phase I (Sarir to Benghazi) inaugurated
August 1991
Cathodic protection system implemented
1995
Phase II (Tripoli supply) completed
September 1996
Phase II Jeffara plain
2000
Pumping station contract awarded
October 2001
Pipe production plant O&M contract awarded
2002
Phase III assignment period
January 2002 to June 2005
Pumping station completion (expected)
Summer 2004
Pumping station service and technical support contract initial term
2004-05
Estimated time to final completion
25 years
Cost:
Phase I
$14 billion
Pipe production plant O&M contract
$350 million
Water pumping station turnkey construction
$82 million
Phase III preliminary engineering / design
$15.5 million
Total cost
$27 billion (2004 estimate)
Key Players:
Owner
Great Man-made River Authority
Funding
Government of Libya
Original project design
Brown & Root / Price Brothers Cy
Main contractor - initial phases
Dong Ah
Sub-contractors
Enka Construction & Industries; Thyssen Krupp Fördertechnik; Al Nahr Co.
Main contractor - phase III
Nippon Koei and Halcrow
Pipe production plant operation and maintenance
SNC-Lavalin
Concrete
Libyan Cement
Pipeline coating
Thane-Coat; Harkmel
Cathodic protection system
Corrintec
Pumping station construction / service and technical support contract
Frankenthal KSB Fluid Systems Consortium
