Sultanate of Oman

Desalinated Water Transmission Lines from Al Ghubrah to Al Seeb and from Barka to Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate (Supplementary Loan)
Loan No: 682 Interest Rate: 2.5 %
Beneficiary: Public Authority for Water Grace Period: 4 years
Project Cost: KD 152.4 million Maturity: 30 years
Amount of Loan: KD 30.0 million Repayment: 53 semi-annual installments
Date of Board Approval: 2020-08-09 First Installment: 4 years following the first disbursement
Date of Loan Agreement: 2020-08-11 Date of Loan Effectiveness: -

Objectives:

The project aims at facing the current deficit in meeting the demand for drinking water, and the increasing future needs in the west of Muscat governorate and Ad Dakhiliyah governorate. This will be achieved through the laying of a transmission line to transfer part of the desalinated water from the Al Ghubrah desalination plant to the provinces of Bawshar and Al Seeb in Muscat governorate, and the laying of a transmission line, as well as the reinforcement of the existing transmission line, to transfer water which will be provided by the expansion of the Barka desalination plant to all the provinces in Ad Dakhiliyah governorate. The project will also provide water for a number of industrial and tourism projects as well as public facilities that are existing or under construction. In addition, the project will mainstream the residents’ connection to the water networks and improve their living conditions.

Description:

The project, which is expected to be completed by the middle of 2023, includes the following main components:

  1. Water Distribution Line from Al Ghubrah Pumping Station to Al Seeb:This includes the laying of a main pipeline with a length of about 30 km and a diameter of about 1600 mm, and secondary pipelines, as well as the necessary connections to link the new pipelines with the existing one and supply the existing reservoirs and pumping stations with water. In addition, this component includes the modification of the current monitoring and control system to incorporate the new pipeline and the facilities and equipment that will be established through this project.
  2. Water Distribution Line from Barka Pumping Station to Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate:This includes the urgent works to reduce the deficit in meeting the demand for water in Ad Dakhiliyah governorate in the short term through the reinforcement of current transmission facilities, and the execution of the necessary works to meet the future demand for water through the laying of new pipelines from Barka pumping station to Ad Dakhiliyah governorate.
    1. Urgent Works:This includes the laying of pipelines with a length of about 14 km and diameter of about 1400 mm, raising the capacity of four existing water pumping stations, improving some of the facilities related with the pumping stations, supporting the water hammer protection systems, and modernizing the monitoring and control system in the operation of the stations.
    2. Water Distribution Line to Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate:This includes the laying of pipelines with a length of about 185 km and diameters ranging between about 400 and 1600 mm, the construction of a balancing reservoir with a capacity of about 350 thousand m3, five reservoirs to regulate water with capacities ranging between about 4 and 20 thousand m3, and the construction of about five water pumping stations with capacities ranging between about 2100 and 12400 m3/hour each, and providing them with electricity, as well as all the civil, hydromechanical and electrical works they require, and the provision of a complete system to control and monitor the transfer line including the stations and reservoirs.
  3. Technical Services:This component includes the necessary consultancy services to prepare the project’s studies, designs and tender documents, and assist in calls for tenders and bid evaluations, as well as supervision of the project implementation, and the conduct of any additional studies necessary to achieve the project’s goals.

Financing:

The two Arab Fund loans, the first No. 639/2016 and the supplementary, cover about 60% of the total project cost. The Omani government will cover the remaining cost of the project and any additional project cost that may arise.