The Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) has floated a tender for setting up temporary water desalination plants to meet the Sultanate’s growing water demand, it was reported.

According to The Times of Oman, the selected company will produce water until a couple of major new projects go on stream. A recent shortage of water supply in several areas in the Muscat region prompted the authorities to look for measures to tackle the situation, it was reported.

Demand for potable water in Oman’s northern region, which includes the Muscat governorate, is projected to grow by 6% per annum in the next five years, from 238 million cubic metres in 2013 to 349 million cubic metres by 2020. Factors driving increased demand for water include a growing population, new hotels and industries.

The tender announcement from Oman Power and Water Procurement Company noted that five companies had submitted bids to provide the temporary water solutions services: Aflaj Al Khaleej Trading & Contracting Company, Osmoflow, Seven Seas, House of Trading and Services and Advanced Oilfield Technology.

Meanwhile, several water desalination projects are at different stages of tendering and implementation, including major projects at Barka, Sohar, Quriyyat, Salalah and Duqm, it was reported. A new desalination plant at Qurayyat, being built by Singapore-based Hyflux, with a capacity of 200,000 cubic metres per day will start production in 2017. Another desalination plant in Salalah with a capacity of up to 20 million gallons per day is expected to start operation in 2019.