Riyadh Water Production Company (RWPC), recently awarded Abunayyan Trading Company and its main subcontractors — Wetico and Saudi Tumpane, all of them being subsidiaries of Abunayyan Holding, the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contract for the Water Treatment Plant at King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) in Riyadh. The new water treatment plant is being built to supply KKIA with 25,000 m3/day of potable water. The construction of the plant kick-started in January 2016 and the plant is set to be commissioned by mid-2017. Upon the successful construction & commissioning of the Project, Jazzirah Environment Company (JECO)-fully owned subsidiary of Miahona will be responsible for the Operation & Maintenance of the project for a period of 30 years. Miahona is the developer executing this project under a BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer) contract signed with GACA (General Authority of Civil Affairs) for a period of 30 years on a public-private partnership (PPP) model. The project is an example of a major shift towards privatization in the Kingdom as envisioned by the government. Listed under Vision 2030 as a national priority, privatization is set to help increase transparency and support fiscal consolidation for the government as well as significantly boost opportunities for the private sector. Abdullah Al Arishy, general manager of RWPC, stated that "KKIA Project is a landmark project and the confidence shown in the private sector by the government stakeholders in the Kingdom is highly commendable and signals a very positive outlook towards a sustainable future of the country. Miahona & its subsidiaries are structured to respond to the opportunities and challenges in the short and long term future in order to address the requirements of Vision 2030." Elaborating further on the topic, Muntaser Kalahji, CEO of the Water and Power arm of Abunayyan Holding, added, "Vision 2030 is opening up tremendous opportunities for private businesses and we're glad that we have been able to participate in the shift that is evident through implementation of this project. It is an extremely exciting and challenging time to be in the market right now and increased privatization will further create similar partnership channels that will benefit all players involved." The KKIA WTP project is set to produce a world class Water Treatment Plant with an operational lifespan of 30 years that supplies potable water in accordance with the highest Saudi and GCC drinking water standards and the requirements laid out by GACA. This mission therefore not only benchmarks the pursuit of excellence by Abunayyan Holding SBUs but also clearly demonstrates their capability to deliver fully integrated solutions for the water industry in the Kingdom.
