The Water & Electricity Company (WEC) of Saudi Arabia has received Expressions of Interests (EOI) from 66 private developers from across the world for the development of a new independent sewage treatment plant (ISTP) to be located in the city of Taif, located in the Mecca province of the country. 

International respondents include companies from Spain, UAE, Netherlands, India, China, Korea, Kuwait, Japan, Egypt, France, UK and Turkey. Industry heavyweights Acciona Agua S.A. and Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios S.A. from Spain; China Gezhouba Group Co. and China Communications Construction Company; Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co., Ltd. from South Korea; Sumitomo Corporation, Marubeni Corporation and Hitachi from Japan; and Suez International and Veolia from France have all submitted EOIs.

Local companies such as Elsewedy Electric, Alfanar Company and International Water Distribution Company (TAWZEA) have also shown interest in the project. 

WEC is seeking to procure a private developer or developer consortium to develop, finance, engineer, procure, construct, operate and maintain the plant, which will have a total treatment capacity of up to 270,000 m3/day. 

Under a 25-year Sewage Treatment Agreement (STA) with WEC, the project company to be incorporated to develop the project will treat the entire sewage capacity supplied by WEC.