Market Report, "Bahrain Water Report Q2 2010", published

April 26, 2010 - PRLog -- Bahrain receives groundwater by lateral under-flow from the Dammam aquifer, which is part of an extensive regional aquifer system. Excessive extraction from this aquifer has led to an increased saline content through water coming from adjacent brackish and saline water sources.

More than half of the country's water is provided by the Hidd independent water and power plant (IWPP), with just 15% of consumption provided by ground water in 2008. Desalinated water now accounts for more than 80% of Bahrain's water provision, a proportion that is likely to increase over time. Desalinated water capacity has increased significantly since Q109 with the commissioning of the third phase of the Hidd Power Company desalination plant, which has raised output to 90mn gallons a day (g/d) - an increase of 60mn g/d over its previous capacity.

The Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) is the agency responsible for the production and supply of power and water in Bahrain, working as an independent arm of the state. It has successfully pushed for the development of IWPPs, with the commissioning of the Hidd phase three and now the award of the Al Dur IWPP contract.

The kingdom has also drafted a national policy for wastewater, including reuse of treated sewage effluence. A major boost to wastewater treatment capacity will come with the development of the Muharraq wastewater plant, which will have a 100,000-150,000m3 per day (m3/d) capacity. EWA has also made improvements in increasing the coverage of sanitation and sewage connection to 88% of the island's population and is on target to reach full coverage by 2015.

EWA is looking to award before end-2010 the consultancy contract for a water transmission development scheme, which will add 165km of new pipelines that will hold an extra 48mn g/d of water produced from Al Dur IWPP. The government is now looking to ramp up private-led development of Bahrain's water sector, making the investment climate even more business-friendly. The Muharraq sewage treatment plant is the first major fruit of the country's privatisation effort and to ensure its success, the government has guaranteed effluent supplies and will take all the treated water.

Securing finance is now a major issue for Gulf IWPPs. Difficulties securing long-term debt finance in the current climate forced Suez and Gulf Investment Corporation, the sponsors of the planned Al Dur IWPP, to go to the market for a US$1.7bn medium-term loan for the project. After the terms were sweetened, including a reported increase of the pricing to 350 basis points over Libor, an arranging group of up to 20 commercial lenders completed the financing in July 2009.

For more information or to purchase this report, go to:
-  http://www.fastmr.com/prod/59130_bahrain_water_report_q2_...

About Business Monitor International

Business Monitor International (BMI) offers a comprehensive range of products and services designed to help senior executives, analysts and researchers assess and better manage operating risks, and exploit business opportunities, across 175 markets.  BMI offers three main areas of expertise: Country Risk BMI's country risk and macroeconomic forecast portfolio includes weekly financial market reports, monthly regional Monitors, and in-depth quarterly Business Forecast Reports.  Industry Analysis BMI covers a total of 17 industry verticals through a portfolio of services, including in-depth quarterly Country Forecast Reports.  View more research from Business Monitor International at http://www.fastmr.com/catalog/publishers.aspx?pubid=1010

About Fast Market Research

Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. We represent the world's top research publishers and analysts and provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available.

For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at http://www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.