en.Wedoany.com Reported - The French Suez Group consortium recently won a 15-year water treatment operation and maintenance contract in Oman's capital Muscat and the North and South Sharqiyah governorates, with a total contract value of $2.3 billion. This is the largest contract Suez has ever secured in the Middle East.
The project covers two major business segments: clean water and wastewater. In the clean water segment, it includes the operation and maintenance of 240 wells, 10,700 kilometers of pipeline network, 400,000 smart water meters (with a daily water distribution of 470,000 cubic meters), and the renovation of four seawater desalination plants. In the wastewater segment, it covers the operation and maintenance of 22 wastewater treatment plants (with a daily treatment capacity of 280,000 cubic meters), 3,000 kilometers of pipeline network, the laying of 400 kilometers of reclaimed water pipelines, and the construction of residential sewage connection facilities. The clean water and wastewater services together serve approximately 2.3 million people, accounting for about 43% of Oman's total population.
Founded in the 19th century (during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty) and headquartered in Paris, France, Suez Group is a globally leading water and waste management service provider. The contract model is "Operation + Maintenance + Construction (Renovation)," with 33 key performance indicators (KPIs) set, including 24-hour availability, maintenance and value preservation of water assets, and comprehensive indicators such as reducing the leakage rate from 34% to 11%. The Suez consortium commits to achieving a localization rate of over 80% in Oman. The consortium also includes two Omani companies—National Trading Company and National Energy Center. Suez has previously held water projects in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, and other regions, forming a regional asset portfolio.
This project is a typical case where Chinese enterprises have yet to establish a full overseas industrial chain competitive advantage in the water sector.
