Several local and international firms are in the fray for three survey contracts linked to two independent water projects (IWPs) in the Salalah and Sharqiyah areas of Oman, the Oman Observer reported.

The IWPs are being developed by the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP).

There are a total of 14 bidders for the topographic survey, six for the bathymetric survey and three for the geotechnical survey contract.

The OPWP plans to build the Salalah IWP with a capacity of between 18-22 million gallons per day (mgpd), but the exact capacity has not yet been decided, the report said. Meanwhile, the OPWP is looking for a suitable location for the IWP in Sharqiyah, it said.

Ongoing projects are expected to double the sultanate’s desalination capacity from the current 657,000 cu m a day to 1.3 million cu m a day by the year 2020.