The Civil Engineering Contractor April 2018 | Page 12

WORLD NEWS
Saudi Arabia has awarded a R5-billion contract
to a Cape Town desalination firm.
The contract to design‚ build, and operate the
plant was awarded to GrahamTek by the Saline
Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC)‚ which
operates several water treatment plants across
Saudi Arabia.
“SWCC controls about 40% of the desalination
plants in the world, and owns and operates 27 such
plants in Saudi Arabia‚ producing in excess of six
billion litres of desalinated water for the country
each day‚” said GrahamTek CEO, Julius Steyn.
“Saudi Arabia is investing ahead of the future
demand caused by population growth‚ replacement
of ageing infrastructure, as well as an increase
in urbanisation. The prolonged low oil prices
compelled Saudi Arabia to consider the latest
technologies that would provide desalinated water
at the most cost-effective prices.”
Steyn said the contract would take 18 months‚
and would be the sixth plant the company had built
in Saudi Arabia.
Through its Energy Partners sustainable energy
subsidiary‚ PSG Group acquired a controlling
interest in GrahamTek last year. Steyn said the deal
coincided with consultation and optimisation work
that GrahamTek was doing on the world’s four
largest desalination plants.
GrahamTek’s technology is ideally suited for
the South African environment‚ said Steyn. “We
are a proudly South African company and well
positioned to provide solutions for the Cape Town
water crisis.”
GrahamTek is also engaged with contracts in
India and Ghana.
Saudi Arabia aims to attract USD11bn
investments in water projects.
10 - CEC April 2018