Saudi Arabia's Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) tender on Sunday for the privatisation of the Ras Al-Khair integrated desalination and power plant.

Ras Al-Khair is the largest desalination plant in the world with production of over 1.05 million cubic metres of desalinated water per day apart from 2,650 megawatts of base load power.

SWCC said in statement on its website that it has invited the seven pre-qualified companies and strategic consortiums to submit their proposals.

It said the winning consortium will own 60 percent of the project company and take over the operation and maintenance work.

The list of prequalified companies consists of:

1. Japan's JERA

2. Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power

3. Kahrabel FZE (an affiliate of France's ENGIE)

4. Japan's Marubeni Corporation

5. Consortium of China Power International Holding Limited (CPIHL) and local firm Ajlan 

6. India's NTPC

7. Chinese consortium of China Huadian Hong Kong Co. (CHDHK) and Beijing Enterprises Water Group (BEWG) 

A total of 37 companies had responded to the Expression of Interest invite.

The deadline for the submission of proposals wasn't disclosed but the statement said SWCC has started work for the privatisation of Yanbu and Shuaiba desalination assets.

Ras Al-Khair is the first SWCC asset to be selected for privatisation as part of a larger privatisation programme envisaged under Saudi Vision 2020.

(Writing by Syed Ameen Kader; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@refinitiv.com)

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