Archives: News

Rami Ghandour, Metito Managing Director, was a panelist at the Uzbekistan International PPP Roundtable held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on the 20th of May 2022. The event discussed the progress and achievements of the PPP program by the Government of Uzbekistan, including large-scale investments and reforms.

At the event, Ghandour said: “Metito pioneered PPPs in the water and wastewater sector in seven countries, including UAE, Egypt, Rwanda, Saudi, Serbia, and Qatar. Our latest project is the Uzbekistan PPP for the Namangan City wastewater treatment plant where we will implement the latest innovations in energy-efficient, low-emission treatment processes and incorporate anaerobic technology to generate biogas as a by-product. This could later be used in power generation.”

“The technology incorporated into the Namangan project is expected to save about 10MW of power each day, which will reduce the overall carbon footprint by 1,400 tons per year, consuming 35% less power” added Rami.

Metito’s work on the Namangan City wastewater treatment plant involves designing, building, financing, operating, and maintaining a 100,000 m³/day wastewater treatment plant and constructing a new 7.5km effluent discharge pipeline in the Namangan district. The project worth USD 100 million is the first wastewater project to be implemented under the country’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Law undertaken by the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services with the Government’s full support.

Rami Ghandour, Metito Managing Director, was a panelist on the ‘Raising Capital for Power and Water Projects’ panel at the World Utilities Congress hosted by Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA).

Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed, Member of Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Office, the first-of-its-kind event offered an unrivaled opportunity for the global power and water industry stakeholders to discuss the advancing technologies influencing the future.

Rami highlighted how the evolving COVID-19 pandemic saw governments encourage private sector participation in developing mega infrastructural projects, with a focus on efficiency, optimization, and sustainability.

“With the globally evolving fluctuations in traditional energy prices and growing environmental concerns, leaders, and decision-makers – especially in the MENA and Gulf regions are taking progressive action towards developing more hybrid water projects. Desalination plants powered by alternative and traditional energy are trending and able to secure needed water quantities, save on energy costs and become more environmentally friendly,” Rami commented.

As part of its ongoing commitment to knowledge sharing and engaging with students across markets, Metito hosted a group of 22 MBA students from McGill-HEC Montreal at its Dubai offices.

Professor Johanne Brunet, CPA-CGA, MBA, Ph.D, ASC, led the delegation of students, and Talal Ghandour, CIO Metito hosted the visit alongside, Wafic Ghanem, CFO Metito; Mike Abla, Metito Chemicals Executive Director; Winifred Wolderling, Deputy Group Human Capital Director; Ghadeer Alrjoub, Metito Utilities Project Finance Analyst; Sachin Kodolikar, Senior Projects Execution Manager; Mohamed Hamdy, MUL SPC Manager; and Reem Saleh, Metito Head of Communications.

The visit started with a brief presentation about Metito, followed by an engaging Q&A session, and then a visit to the Middle East’s first public private partnership wastewater concession, developed by Metito, in DIP.

Metito received the Construction Business News Middle East (CBNME) MEP “Retrofit Project of the Year” Award for Sharjah Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) Phase 4&5 in recognition of the sustainable impact the project has made in terms of contributing to its surrounding community and environment, construction best practices, and for showcasing how construction techniques and pioneering technology can secure optimum operations across the different phases of developing the project.   The project is in line with the Sharjah Government’s economic development and urban expansion strategy to address the growing demand for urban spaces and its commitment to developing sanitation and rainwater drainage projects and is aligned with the UN’s SDGs No.11 – SDGs No. 11 – sustainable cities and SDG No. 6 – clean water and sanitation. The retrofit project is aimed at increasing the capacity from 27,400 m³/day to 65,000 m³/day, per phase, to reach a total capacity of 130,000 m³/day and is one of many iconic projects the Government of Sharjah- Department of Public Works has developed in collaboration with Metito.   The awards were announced in a formal ceremony that was held in Dubai and attended by Abdalla Juma AlTeneiji from the Department of Public Works- Sharjah; Ahmed Hayajneh: Metito General Manager – General Manager for Dubai, Sharjah, and the Northern Emirates; and Moataz Hammamy- Metito General Manager Operations.

Metito Delivers the First Of Three Floating Desalination Barges For Bahri’s SAR760m Announced Project In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia

• The project has a total capacity of 150,000 cubic meters per day- The Largest of Its Kind
• Metito developed the entire project, including the design, engineering, construction, operation trials, and the provision of floating barges that carry the desalination plants and power generation system
• The Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) is the off taker for this innovative project

January 25, 2022: Metito delivers the first of three floating desalination barges for The Saudi National Shipping Company (Bahri) SAR760m Announced Project in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The project is based on a previous agreement signed with the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) and falls under the third independent phase of the Kingdom’s Privatization Program and aims to ensure sustainable supply of water to enhance water security. The project is the largest floating desalination barge and is located near Al Shuqaiq port, on the western coast of Saudi Arabia.

Metito Saudi signed a contract with Bahri to deliver three floating water desalination plants with a total capacity of 150,000 cubic meters per day. This project is aimed at contributing to the sustainability to supply of high-quality potable water in compliance with all applicable international and local codes and standards and using the most advanced treatment technology, Integrated Ultra Filtration.

Metito, the leading global provider of water and alternative energy management solutions, developed this project on fast-track basis and covering the design, engineering, construction, operation trials, and the provision of floating barges to sail the desalination plants, complete with the power generation system, to its current location in the Kingdom. The company won this pioneering project after winning a competitive tender and having a portfolio of iconic projects across global markets and in the Kingdom.

Commenting on the news, Fady Juez, Metito Managing Director, said, “Winning this innovative project is a true testament of the Kingdom’s progressive vision to achieving national water security targets through sustainable projects and highlights the Government’s efforts to further engage the private sector with mega infrastructural projects”.

Metito specifically designed the plant taking into consideration mobility and the flexibility of sailing the barges to different locations, according to changing water needs. Juez also emphasized the possibility of using solar energy to power the barges.

Metito was the first company to introduce the Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology for desalination outside the USA in 1972. To date, the company continues to develop iconic desalination projects, integrating the latest technologies and ensuring environmental sustainability at the core of its high value engineering.  Metito is also the first company to pioneer concession contracts through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in the Middle East and Africa.

• Metito has been awarded the first public-private partnership (PPP) wastewater treatment project under design, build, finance, operation, and maintenance in the Republic of Uzbekistan

 30 December 2021 – Metito, the leading global provider of water and alternative energy management solutions, has been awarded the design, build, finance, operation, and maintenance of a 100,000 m3/day wastewater treatment plant, along with the construction of a new 7.5km effluent discharge pipeline in the Namangan District of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The project worth USD 100 million, is the first wastewater project to be implemented under the country’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Law with private investment and project financing undertaken by the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services with the full support of the Government of Uzbekistan.

Dominated by large desert plains and an arid climate, Uzbekistan is considered a water-scarce country. Namangan is located on the right bank of the Syr Darya River. Due to climate change, there has been lower river flows and water stress causing a growing gap between water supply and demand. The project, which marks Metito’s first PPP project in Uzbekistan and second in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region, will contribute towards rehabilitating and expanding the water and wastewater infrastructure in the Namangan region, located 295km from the capital city, Tashkent. This will improve access to safe water and create a more sustainable community. Metito will be responsible for the engineering, procurement, and construction of the project for the first 2 years as well as its operation and maintenance for 23 years after completion.

Commenting on this, Rami Ghandour, Metito Managing Director, said: ” Water impacts almost every facet of life, and ensuring a stable and sustainable clean water supply is vital to the sustainable development of any economy. The Namangan Wastewater Treatment Plant PPP braves the path of taking a much bolder approach to financing capital-intensive large infrastructural projects able to address growing water needs where there are budget constraints and other priorities for government budgetary spending.”

“We are confident that our global and extended experience in water PPPs, our high-value engineering capabilities along with integrating the latest technologies, will enable us to set a new benchmark for future water projects in Uzbekistan and the wider CIS region.”

The Namangan Wastewater Treatment Plant PPP is set to have a huge impact on the Uzbekistan community particularly through encouraging more foreign direct investments into capital-intensive, lifeline infrastructure projects. The project is part of a large-scale water management strategy that is aimed at the corporatization and the transfer of management of water supply and sewerage systems to private operators.  Two presidential decrees have been issued to support the development of Water, Supply, and Sanitation infrastructure on a PPP basis and the Namangan Wastewater Treatment Plant PPP project is the first to be developed in this sector pursuant to those Presidential Decrees.

Following a two-staged open international tender run by Asian Development Bank with 23 foreign companies, Metito was officially announced as the winning bidder of the Namangan PPP project. The announcement was made at an award ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services in the Republic of Uzbekistan, and which was attended by members of the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services, the Ministry of Finance, and their PPP Development Agency, Asian Development Bank, as well as representatives from Metito.

Metito’s team of advisory included Synergy Consulting (Financial Advisor), KPMG (Tax Advisor), Hogan Lovells (Legal Advisor).

Metito has been awarded the Most Impactful Water Company 2021 by CFI.co – Capital Finance International. Despite the challenging times that were brought about by the evolving Covid-19 pandemic, Metito’s growing impact on water and energy sustainability didn’t waver and this was highlighted in the CFI.co judging panel report.

This Most Impactful Water Company 2021 award celebrates the company that showed the most resilience and tireless efforts towards addressing the pressing challenges of water scarcity and security while growing steadily, opening new markets, providing job opportunities, and upskilling talent to deliver long-term, world-class quality practice, and deliverables.

Metito’s ongoing commitment to support the UN’s SDGs, particularly, goal 6 – clean water and sanitation, goal 7 – affordable and clean energy, goal 11 – sustainable cities and communities, and goal 13 – climate action, were all applauded in the judge’s report reflecting on the impact Metito is having on circular economy and not just the water sector in key markets around the world.

Thanks to our people, clients, shareholders, and the communities that we serve, we were enabled to create such an impact and will strive to do more.

Metito is the award recipient of the “Water Company of the Year -Distinction Award”, from the Global Water Intelligence (GWI). The award recognizes excellence across the entire international water industry within several categories and rewards those initiatives in the water, wastewater, and desalination sectors that are moving the industry forward.

#Metito has been awarded the project to rehabilitate Irbid northern wastewater treatment plants in #Jordan – a project worth 42M Euros with a capacity of more than10 million m³/year.

The project will cut greenhouse emissions by appx. 6,600 metric tons annually, contributing to a more sustainable environment and a healthier community.

Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation Muhammad Najjar and Moustafa Hasan, Metito General Manager, Turkey, Iraq, Levant & CIS, signed the agreement on May 30th in Amman, Jordan.

Commenting on this, Moustafa Hasan, said: “It’s a great honor for Metito to work with Jordan’s Ministry of Water and Irrigation on this project. Irbid is a strategic area, and this project will play a role in creating a more sustainable community around the area and will have a myriad of positive impacts as it becomes a benchmark project of such mega capacity in the Kingdom”.