Spanish/Israeli JV awarded Ashdod desalination contract

Israel's national water company, Mekorot, announced on 18 November 2009 that the turnkey contract for the desalination plant in Ashdod had been awarded by its subsidiary, Mekorot Development & Enterprise, to the IVM joint venture of Minrav Holdings Ltd and Spain's Sacyr Vallehermoso SA unit, SADYT.

The Ashdod plant is expected to start producing desalinated water in April 2012 and is the first facility to be established under the emergency water program. The $420 million plant will supply 100 million m³ of water a year.

The other two bidders were: BGS Desalination Consortium, comprising Shikun u'Binui Holdings Ltd, Granite Hacarmel Ltd unit Global Environmental Solutions Ltd (GES), Shafir Civil and Marine Engineering Ltd, and Baran Group; and IDE Technologies Ltd.