2bn euros over 15 years: SUEZ secures its largest contract in the Middle East, to support the sustainability of the water sector in Oman

Providing effective and sustainable water and wastewater services to the Omani population

As Oman faces economic growth and rising demand, ensuring effective and sustainable water management is a major priority for the country’s future. The Omani authorities aim to address these challenges, in the ‘Vision 2040’ strategy, by reducing costly water losses and implementing performance-driven practices to improve operational efficiency. They also aim to ensure workforce stability and enhance the long-term attractiveness of the Omani water sector by accelerating capacity building and knowledge transfer.

To achieve these objectives, the national water company NAMA Water Services is implementing a new Performance-based Contract, in line with international best practices, to provide water and wastewater services throughout Muscat and the North Sharqiyah, and South Sharqiyah Governorates (Cluster 1), the most populous region of the country, with 2.3 million inhabitants. 

The scope of the contract, drawn on SUEZ’s expertise, will cover both:

• Water services with the operation and maintenance of 240 wells and 10,700 km of pipelines to distribute 470,000 m³/day of drinking water. It also covers the refurbishment and upgrading of 4 desalination plants and the operation of more than 400 000 smart meters. 
• Wastewater services with the operation and maintenance of 22 wastewater treatment plants, representing a total treatment capacity of 280,000 m³/day, around 3,000 km of sewer networks, and 400 km of treated effluent networks delivering treated water for reuse, and installation and operation of new wastewater house connections. 
  
  

Combining global expertise and local capabilities to deliver measurable and sustainable performance

This performance-based contract comprises 33 key performance indicators to ensure the sustainable operation and delivery of high-quality water services, that will determine the operators’ remuneration. These KPIs include:
• Reduce water losses from 34% to 11% by 2040
• Guarantee a high-quality, 24-hour water supply 
• Carry out optimized preventive maintenance activities to improve service reliability and extend asset lifespan

These service improvements rely on SUEZ’s proven practices, along with the implementation of the Group’s technologies and digital solutions: Aquadvanced to monitor plants and networks, optimize performance and reduce energy and chemicals consumption; Inflowmatics and iDroloc to ensure advanced leak detection and Sewerball to enable rapid detection of water pollution or infiltration in sanitation networks.

Beyond technologies, the success of the project relies on the expertise of the Omani teams. A comprehensive capacity-building programme, drawing on international expert knowledge, has been designed to develop operational and managerial skills over the long term. The performance-based contract involves strong commitment to omanization (>83%) and In Country Value1, supporting the Government's strategic goals of Oman Vision 2040.

A shared governance between NAMA Water Services and SUEZ to ensure performance services

In this partnership, NAMA Water Services retains its strategic and regulatory role of supervision and governance, while the Consortium will be responsible for day-to-day operations, through the dedicated company National Sustainable Water Alliance L.L.C: 

• SUEZ, a global utility expert, will lead the operations management for water and wastewater;
• National Trading Company L.L.C., a multi-sector investor across Power & Utilities, Manufacturing, IT, Real Estate and retail, will provide field knowledge, financial and investment expertise;
• National Energy Center (NEC), a leading Omani utility development and infrastructure investment company focused on water, energy and digital utility solutions. NEC will play a central role in driving smart utility technologies, digital transformation initiatives, advanced metering infrastructure, operational optimization and performance enhancement programs throughout the contract.
  
  

A long-standing presence in the Middle East

SUEZ has maintained a continuous presence in the Middle East since 1956, beginning with the discovery of a drinking water source in Saudi Arabia and the construction of the first reverse osmosis desalination plant in Jeddah. 

Today, SUEZ provides water services in the Western Cluster of Saudi Arabia (Jeddah, Makka, Taif), and develops a Build Operate Transfer desalination project and a water treatment facility in Amaala. The Group is also developing a medical waste incineration plant with SIRC. In Qatar, SUEZ is operating wastewater services in Doha’s West Catchment Zone for the national company Ashghal since 2026 and is delivering a leak detection programme for Kahramaa. In the United Arab Emirates, SUEZ leads a project to reduce saltwater intrusion in Abu Dhabi, while in Jordan it is part of the Meridiam-led consortium to build and operate the country’s largest desalination plant.