Western Asia

Oman pulls quick u-turn on desalination payments – Oman

Oman has moved to reassure private water and power producers that they will still get paid in full, a week after the country’s central offtaker shocked companies by saying it would not be meeting its bills.

At the start of last week, it emerged that the 11 private companies that supply just under 1.5 million m³/d of water in the Sultanate had been told by the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) that there would be a “hold back” of power and water capacity investment payments from April invoices onwards.

Israel snubs Beijing to give mega desalination project to local firm days after Pompeo warned about Chinese money – Israel

Washington may celebrate a win in its tug-of-war with Beijing after the Israeli government awarded a huge contract, to build a massive facility for making saltwater drinkable, to a local company rather than to a Chinese bidder.

A government panel selected IDE Technologies to build a large desalination plant about 15 km south of Tel Aviv. The Israeli company’s bid was chosen over that of Hutchison Water, a water treatment subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based multinational conglomerate. The win comes less than two weeks after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Israel and voiced concern about Chinese investment in local infrastructure.

The new facility will be built next to the existing Sorek Desalination Plant and is expected to be commissioned in 2023. Dubbed “Sorek B,” it will produce up to 548,000 cubic meters of fresh water per day. Combined with the first plant’s 624,000 cubic meters-per-day capacity, the site would become one of world’s biggest desalination operations.

Israel rejects Chinese bid to build Sorek 2 amid pressure from the US – Israel

Israel chose local company IDE technologies to construct the world’s largest desalination plant, the government announced on Tuesday, rather than a Chinese company, thus preventing another undesirable showdown with the Trump administration over Chinese participation in major infrastructure projects.

Three groups bid to build Sorek 2, a private-public partnership (PPP) which will be the world’s largest desalination plant when completed in 2023.

Among them was Israeli Hutchison Company, an affiliate of the Chinese Hutchison Company based in Hong Kong.The US has asked its allies, including Israel, in recent weeks to sever ties with China – Israel’s third-largest trading partner – in areas with security risks, a US official with knowledge of talks on the matter said last week.

SEWA examines 3,000 water samples over last 4 months – Dubai

SHARJAH, 22nd May, 2020 (WAM) — The Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority, SEWA, revealed that the increase in the number of water samples examined in the laboratory of water desalination plants was 3,000 from the beginning of the current year until the end of April 2020.

In the previous year, SEWA examined 8,420 water samples, intending to provide high-quality drinking water, in line with the standards of the World Health Organisation.

Eng. Dr. Rashid Al Leem, Chairman of SEWA, highlighted the fact that the Authority harnessed its technical and operational capabilities to provide high-quality drinking water.

Senate legislation would expand COVID-19 projects with Israel to lessen dependence on China – Israel

The Senate has introduced legislation to enhance partnerships between American and Israeli companies on COVID-19 projects, thus lessening U.S. dependence on China for life-saving medications and treatments.

The bipartisan legislation was introduced on Wednesday as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on a whirlwind eight-hour visit to Israel, criticized China while praising Israel.

“You’re a great partner,” Pompeo said in an appearance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before their meeting in Jerusalem. “You share your information, unlike some other countries that try and obfuscate and hide information. And we’ll talk about that country, too.”

Pompeo to warn Israel over Chinese involvement in water plant – Israel

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to arrive in Israel on May 13. Though there are many issues on his agenda, one specific topic is particularly sensitive, since it revolves around tiny Israel’s involvement in the worsening clash between Washington and Beijing.

The facility, known as Sorek 2, will produce 200 million cubic meters of drinking water per year, raising the total water processed in Israeli desalination plants to 786 million cubic meters per year.

The Americans are worried that the Chinese firm Hutchison will win the tender to build the world’s largest desalination plant planned for the Palmahim Mediterranean coast in the south of Israel.

SEA, UoB discuss use of renewable energy in water desalination – Bahrain

Manama, May 10 (BNA): President of the Sustainable Energy Authority (SEA), Dr. Abdulhussain bin Ali Mirza, held a virtual meeting with the University of Bahrain (UoB).

The remote video meeting, in which Dr. Waheeb Al-Nasser, Dr. Hanan Al-Buflasa, Dr. Mohammed Ridha, Dr. Muammar Talib and Dr. Nour Al-Din Mansour and a number of SEA officials participated, followed up on the developments of the joint SEA- UoB research cooperation agreement on the use of renewable energy in water desalination.

Dr. Mirza said that the meeting aimed to support the efforts and goals of the Water Resources Council, led by Deputy Premier, Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, to ensure the sustainability of water resources in the kingdom.

Israel’s Azrieli sells desalination subsidiary to Generation Capital – Israel

TEL AVIV (Reuters) – Israeli real estate developer Azrieli Group (AZRG.TA) said on Sunday it sold its holdings in GES Global Environment Solutions to Generation Capital (GNRS.TA) for 105 million shekels ($30 million).

GES builds and operates seawater desalination facilities as well as industrial, municipal water and wastewater treatment plants.

The deal is not expected to have a material effect on the Azrieli’s results, the company said.

Israel can track coronavirus outbreak through sewage system – Israel

Israeli scientists have developed a new methodology to trace the SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) virus through the sewage and wastewater systems.

After sampling at wastewater treatment plants and in the sewage pipeline of the Tel Aviv area during the coronavirus outbreak, the team confirmed SARS-CoV-2 RNA is present in human waste.

They even found a larger concentration in one known outbreak hotspot.

Acwa consortium inks deal for $650m Saudi RO desal plant – Saudi Arabia

Saudi-based Acwa Power said its consortium with Gulf Investment Corporation and AlBawani Water & Power Company has signed a major water purchase agreement with the Saudi Water Partnership Company for a greenfield sea water reverse osmosis desalination project being built at an investment of $650 million in Jubail city.

On completion, the Jubail 3A Independent Water Plant (IWP) will boast a capacity of 600,000 cu m of potable water/day, thus contributing to Saudi efforts to ensure water security.

The 25-year agreement was signed with Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen A. AlFadley, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and Chairman of the Board Directors of SWPC.

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