Riyadh – Mubasher: Saudi Arabia’s National Water Company (NWC) on Thursday penned its first management contract with the private sector through which the latter will operate water and environmental treatment services in the North West Sector, which includes Madinah and Tabuk areas.

The seven-year contract was signed with a Saudi-French-Filipino consortium at a value of more than SAR 198 million ($52.5 million), according to a press release.

The Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al Fadli, attended the signing ceremony alongside NWC’s CEO and the consortium representatives; Saudi Miahona Company, France’s Saur, and the Philippines’ the Manila Water Company.

The kingdom’s water distribution and wastewater services utility said the deal will contribute to improving the services provided as well as operational performance across the water sector in general, including operational efficiency and technical knowledge, and the availability of services and maintenance requirements, hence; guaranteeing service sustainability.