Muscat – Veolia, through its consolidated entity Bahwan Veolia Water (BVW), a partnership between Veolia and Bahwan Engineering Company, has been awarded a five-year operations and maintenance (O&M) contract by Al Asilah Operation and Maintenance LLC for the Al Asilah Desalination Plant in Oman.

With a production capacity of 80,000 cubic metres per day, the plant strengthens Veolia’s contribution to Oman’s water security. It is the fourth advanced desalination facility operated by Veolia in Oman, following those in Sur, Barka and Salalah.

Veolia has been supporting Oman’s water supply for nearly 20 years through its advanced facilities and increasingly innovative and efficient technologies.

Together with the Sur Desalination Plant, the Al Asilah facility will supply high-quality drinking water to approximately 600,000 people across South Sharqiyah Governorate. The proximity of the two plants will allow the sharing of technical resources, knowledge and proven operational practices, improving efficiency and reliability at both facilities.

“Through the Al Asilah plant, and our expanded presence in Oman in the field of drinking water production, since we already operate three large-scale facilities, we are strengthening our long-term strategic partnership with Oman while supporting our ambition to double the desalination capacity we operate worldwide by 2030,” Philippe Bourdeaux, executive senior vice-president for Africa, Near and Middle East at Veolia, said in a press statement.

The plant is owned by Al Asilah Desalination Company, whose major shareholders include Japan’s JGC Holdings Corporation and Oman’s Bahwan Group. The contract combines Veolia’s global desalination expertise with its partners’ local and international capabilities to strengthen water security in South Sharqiyah.

Veolia’s responsibilities cover the operation and maintenance of the desalination plant, including its on-site solar photovoltaic farm. By combining its water and energy expertise, the group aims to optimise operational performance and support lower-carbon drinking water production.