Contractors have been invited to submit expressions of interest to build a 22,000 m3/day desalination plant at the Sohar Industrial Port Area (SIPA) in northern Oman.

According to Meed, the project will be reverse osmosis (RO) based and firms have until April 14 to submit their documents.

The project is part of the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company’s (OPWP) plan to tender contracts for five further desalination plants this year, as set out in a seven year statement.

Oman is aiming to increase its overall desalinated water capacity under contract to OPWP from the current 670,000 m3/day to 1.3 million m3/day by 2020.

Also this month OPWP released the Request for Proposal to the shortlisted bidders for the development of the 200,000 m3/day Qurayyat desalination project .

Pre-qualified applicants include GS Inima, Tedagua, a consortium led by Hyflux, a consortium led by Sumitomo, a consortium led by Valoriza, a consortium led by Itochu and a consortium led by Abengoa, according to a statement from OPWP.