August 31, Manama (BNA): With a planned capacity of roughly 1400–1500 megawatts (MW) of electricity and 30 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD) of potable water, the Sitra Independent Water and Power Production Plant (IWPP) will be developed and implemented through a strategic partnership with the private sector under a Build-Own-Operate (BOO) system, according to Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, President of the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA).
EWA launches international tender for 1400 MW and 30 MIGD at Sitra IWPP
According to the president, EWA has finished the pre-qualification process for developers, and seven top international companies and consortiums are qualified to build Independent Water and Power Production (IWPP) plants: Sumitomo Corporation, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), ACWA Power, Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC), JERA, and the group of companies China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEMC) and China Datang (Overseas Hong Kong). EWA has extended an invitation to contractors and investors who are interested in working together to get in touch with these organizations directly in order to discuss potential collaborations and share knowledge for the project’s execution.
The project will be created using the most up-to-date international technologies with high operating efficiency and quality standards in the fields of reverse osmosis (RO) technology for seawater desalination and electricity generation. The plant’s full commercial operation is planned for the second quarter of 2029, with the operational testing phase and initial commercial operation of 600 MW of electricity and 30 MIGD of water anticipated to start in the second quarter of 2028.
According to Mohammed, this project supports improved resource efficiency and the Kingdom’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and achieve environmental sustainability by aligning with EWA’s plan to replace outdated plants with new, more efficient ones that use contemporary technologies that help reduce natural gas consumption.
In keeping with strategic directions toward sustainable transformation, he added, the project will be executed utilizing the most recent international technologies to improve operational efficiency and fortify infrastructure readiness to meet the demands of comprehensive development, all the while promoting urban and economic growth in the Kingdom.
The president emphasized that this project is one of the strategic efforts to establish sustainable water and energy security by fortifying the infrastructure for these utilities. In keeping with Bahrain’s strategic directions toward sustainable transformation, it reflects EWA’s vision to advance sustainability in the Kingdom’s electricity and water production sector by collaborating with the private sector to boost production capacity to meet urban and economic growth, improving infrastructure readiness, and helping to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
Mohammed emphasized that these initiatives are in line with the government’s goal of improving sustainability and water and energy infrastructure, highlighting the value of working with the private sector to increase efficiency and satisfy the rising demand for basic services, which will strengthen the Kingdom’s capacity to handle upcoming difficulties.
This project is part of EWA’s ongoing efforts to advance the water and energy industries. It comes after the announcement of the start of construction on Bahrain‘s first solar-powered electricity and water production plant, in collaboration with the private sector, and the opening of an international tender for the construction of the Al Hidd Independent Water Production Plant, which has a capacity of 60 MIGD. This year’s fourth quarter will see the launch of the plant’s tender, which will have a production capacity of about 150 MW.
