Saudi Arabia Awards Desalination Plant Contract

Saudi Arabia has awarded a SAR6.62bn ($1.76bn) contract to a consortium led by Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction to build a desalination plant in Ras Al Zour on the Persian Gulf.

The plant will produce 1.025 million cubic metres of desalinated water a day, of which 900,000m³ a day will be supplied to Riyadh, 100,000m³ to the town of Hafr Al-Batin and 25,000m³ to mining company Maaden.

The project is part of Saudi Arabia’s five-year, $400bn fiscal stimulus package, announced in 2008, to meet water demand in Saudi Arabia.

The plant is expected to be operational in 2014, according to businessweek.com.