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