Sultanate of Oman

Transmission Lines of Desalinated Water from Al Ghubrah to Al Seeb and from Barka to Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate
Loan No: 639 Interest Rate: 2.5 %
Beneficiary: Public Authority for Electricity and Water Grace Period: 6 years
Project Cost: KD 214.8 million Maturity: 30 years
Amount of Loan: KD 60.0 million Repayment: 49 semi-annual installments
Date of Board Approval: - First Installment: 6 years following the first disbursement
Date of Loan Agreement: 2016-12-28 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.

Description:

The project, which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022, consists of the laying of main and secondary pipelines, the construction of water reservoirs, the upgrade of the capacity of a number of existing water pumping stations and the construction of new ones, the establishment of the necessary monitoring and control systems in the project facilities and operating them, as well as the required technical services to prepare the studies, designs and tender documents, and works supervision. The project consists of the following components:

The project includes all the civil works required for the development and expansion of each road, through the construction of a new parallel road consisting of 2 lanes with a total width of 7.5 m, a median with a width ranging between 3.6 and 5.0 m, outside and inside shoulders with widths of 2.5 m and 1.2 m, respectively, in addition to the rehabilitation and partial reconstruction of the existing road, and consultancy services. The project components can be summarized as follows:

  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 with a total length of about 300 m and diameters ranging between 400 and 800 mm, as well as the necessary connections to link the new pipeline 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, and the execution of the necessary works to meet the future demand for water. This component also includes the construction of storage tanks and water pumping stations in the new transmission line which is divided into two sections: the first from the Barka station to Izki, and the second from Izki to Jibreen. This component includes the following:
    1. Urgent Works:This includes the upgrade of the capacity of four existing water pumping stations to a capacity ranging between 4460 and 6460 m3/hour, and the construction of two new pumping stations, the first with a capacity of about 5150 m3/hour and the second with a capacity of about 4420 m3/hour. The works also include the construction of about three storage tanks to regulate water, each with a capacity of about 23 thousand m3, the laying of about 14 km of pipelines with diameters ranging between 200 and 800 mm, in addition to the enhancement of the monitoring and control system to operate the stations.
    2. Distribution Line from Barka Station Plant to Izki: This includes the laying of pipelines with total lengths of about 98 km and diameters ranging between 1300 and 1600 mm, the construction of four storage tanks to regulate water, each with a capacity ranging between about 20 and 27 thousand m3, and the construction of about five pumping stations, each with a capacity ranging between about 7670 and 11330 m3/hour, in addition to the upgrade of the capacity of the existing pumping station to about 7670 m3/hour.
    3. Distribution Line from Izki to Jibreen: This includes the construction of a balancing reservoir with a capacity of about 350 thousand m3, the laying of pipelines with a total length of about 110 km and diameters ranging between 400 and 1600 mm, the construction of a storage tank to regulate water with a capacity of about 23 thousand m3, the construction of a pumping station with a capacity of about 1640 m3/hour, in addition to the establishment of an integrated system to monitor and control the distribution line with its two sections and including all the stations and storage tanks.
  3. Technical Services:This includes the required consultancy services to prepare the studies, designs and tender documents for the project, assist in tendering and bid analysis, works supervision, and implementation of any additional studies which may be required to achieve the project’s objectives.

Financing:

The Arab Fund’s loan covers about 28% of the total project cost. The Omani Government will cover the remaining cost of the project and any additional cost that may ari