NWC and Jeddah Economic Co. ink SR 2.2 bn supply pact

The National Water Company agreed to an SR 2.2 billion supply deal with Jeddah Economic Co.
Waled Abdul Jalil Batterjee, CEO of the Jeddah-based developer, and Loay Al-Musallam, CEO of National Water Co, signed the 25-year agreement to supply 156,000 cubic meters of treated and drinking water a day.
The memorandum was signed at the NWC headquarters in Jeddah in the presence of senior executives of the two companies.
Al-Musallam confirmed that the MoU provides for supplying JEC with water totaling more than 156,000 cubic meteres/day, including safe drinking water of more than 70,000 cubic meteres/day.
Al- Musallam said the signing of such agreements comes within the framework of the NWC’s strategic plans to serve vital projects in Saudi Arabia and provide necessary drinking water, in addition to providing treated water for use in district cooling systems and for landscape irrigation purposes on a commercial basis.
The use of treated water is considered the perfect choice for industrial, commercial and agricultural purposes, where it is less expensive than desalinated water intended for drinking and help maintain strategic reserves of groundwater, as well as in preserving the environment.
Batterjee stated that the MoU with NWC will be followed by several memorandums of understanding for studies, workshops, seminars, training, and exchange of experiences.
Batterjee said the project needs more than 70,000 meters of drinkable water.
More than 55,000 m3/ day of treated water will be used for landscape irrigation purposes and district cooling systems.
Batterjee said the project is the product of the vision of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal ,chairman of Kingdom Holding Company.
For more than 6 years, a search was on for a suitable location for this project, which ended with his choice of location on the Red Sea coast overlooking the Obhor Bay.
Also, Prince Alwaleed actively participated in all aspects of planning and design, and in terms of the choice of best engineers to design the Kingdom Tower.
The MoU also is the result of effective cooperation from the technical team of NWC led by Al-Musallam.
NWC had earlier taken the initiative to take advantage of the treated water for multiple use, including for industrial, commercial and agricultural purposes, and through the provision of large amounts of treated water as a reliable source with high specification and at competitive prices. Efficient use of such water is also in the interest of protecting the environment, said a press release from the company.