Qatar’s Ashghal awards contract for country’s first sewage treatment PPP project

Qatar Public Works Authority  (Ashghal) has awarded a consortium, comprising Metito, Al Attiyah Motors & Trading Company, and Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC), the contract for the development, design, build, financing and procurement of a 150,000 m3/day sewage treatment works (STW) project under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement.

The QAR5.4bn project, located in the areas of Al Wakrah and Al Wukair, marks the country’s first sewage treatment PPP project.

Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, stated that the initiative is a culmination of the country’s efforts to consolidate the partnership between the public and private sectors, on the one hand, and attract and stimulate local and foreign investments on the other.

Mutaz Ghandour, chairman and CEO Metito, said, “For decades, we have witnessed Qatar investing heavily to improve economic, social, human, and environmental outcomes for the country and this project is yet another milestone in this progressive journey.  Metito has been closely working with its Qatari stakeholders, developing projects since 1987, and being awarded this contract alongside our partners is a great honour and a testament to our commitment to play a leading role in enabling Qatar to achieve its ambitious water agenda.”

The Al Wakrah and Al Wukair STW project will contribute to the achievement of Qatar’s 2030 Vision to streamline water consumption and encourage the use of unconventional water resources. The consortium’s scope will involve the design, construction, and delivery of Kahramaa facilities, including a primary substation, initial commissioning, performance acceptance testing, and 25 years of operations and maintenance.

Abdul Aziz Al Attiya, chairman of Al Attiyah Motors & Trading Company, said: “We are the largest shareholder in this consortium, which means providing an effective contribution to the capital, in addition to our decades-long experience working within Qatar. We are proud to be awarded this contract under a public-private partnership for the next 25 years, with the local and global expertise that our consortium has.”

Meshary Al-Judaimi, group head – Principal Investment at GIC, stated, “In line with its strategy to focus on sectors with high added value to the economies of the region, GIC has chosen the development of utilities and infrastructure projects as one of the most important sectors. There is no doubt that the state of Qatar, through the Public Works Authority, has demonstrated its ability to attract international, regional, and local private enterprises for the development of this important project.”