Six vie for Abu Dhabi sewerage projects
France's Veolia and
Singapore's Keppel Seghers are among firms
bidding to buy 40 percent of Abu Dhabi's
sewerage sector in the Gulf's first such
privatisation, an official said.
"Six international companies including
Veolia, Keppel and the local Al Qudra
Holding are among the bidders who submitted
bids on Monday," said Alan Thompson,
managing director of Abu Dhabi Sewerage
Services Company.
The selected company will build two sewerage
treatment plants, one in the UAE capital Abu
Dhabi and another in Al Ain and will operate
them for 25 years.
"As far as we know, this is the first
privatisation of the sewerage sector in the
(Gulf Arab states) and the estimated cost of
the project is in the region of 1.5 to 2
billion dirhams," Thompson told Reuters.
The chosen company will take a 40 percent
stake in a company that will be set up for
this purpose while the remaining 60 per cent
will be held by the Abu Dhabi Water &
Electricity Authority, he said.
The financial and technical assessments will
go on for about three months and a preferred
bidder will be selected by late summer
2007," said Thompson, whose company
currently oversees the emirate's sewerage
sector. - Reuter