Further to recent contract wins in its three strategic global locations, Bluewater Bio Limited, a leading provider of treatment solutions to the water industry, have been awarded a USD36.5 million contract with the Ministry of Works of the Kingdom of Bahrain to further upgrade and expand the Tubli wastewater treatment plant, which is the largest in the country, serving a population equivalent of c. 1.4 million. Bluewater Bio will be responsible for all aspects of engineering, acting as EPC contractor and technology supplier.

Contract duration will be 22 months. Following completion Bluewater Bio will operate and maintain this new plant alongside another HYBACS plant installed 5 years earlier.

This new project marks the Company’s second contract with the Ministry of Works at Tubli Bay which will deliver a further 120 MLD uplift in treatment capacity, bringing the total treated to 230 MLD. The project is being funded by UK Export & Finance (“UKEF”)

This follows the earlier installation of the companies HYBACS technology, which has exceeded the Ministry of Works expectations for quality, reliability and performance.  

Now that Bluewater Bio’s technologies are referenced and other installations are under way in Saudi Arabia, it is the ambition of the company to continue its growth strategy and thus use Bahrain as an important base and hub for the Region.

Richard Haddon, Executive Chairman of Bluewater Bio, commented: “I am delighted that we have been engaged to install our technology to further enhance the ongoing environmental improvements to Tubli Bay which is wetlands of international importance and a registered UNESCO Ramsar site. Also, the Government of Bahrain has made this decision knowing us and our products, as they have existing HYBACS units operating successfully within their treatment works. Our objective is to create long term partnerships with our clients where they can trust and depend upon us, especially with such sensitive environmental projects. Having clients returning is, I feel, evidence that we are achieving this.”  

Ahmed A.Aziz AL Khayat Under Secretary, Ministry of Works, added: “We have worked with Bluewater Bio over many years and know the benefits that their technology brings and therefore we are looking forward to this upgrade to our plant. It will further enhance the water provision for both the residents and businesses of Bahrain. Our commitment in delivering world class infrastructure remains central to our plans going forward as we continue to fulfil our long term goals in line with Bahrain Vision 2030.”

Simon Martin CMG, HM British Ambassador to Bahrain said: “We welcome this development, which is an excellent example of the positive impact – in this case environmental impact – of British-Bahraini collaboration.  This project has the potential to improve the lives of countless people living, working and investing in the Tubli Bay area.  I am delighted to see UK commercial, technological and financial expertise helping provide a platform for Bahrain and Bahrainis to achieve.”

UK International Trade Secretary, RT Hon. Dr Liam Fox MP, stated: “Bluewater Bio is an innovative company and the continuing demand for its market-leading capabilities shows the value placed on British expertise in the water and wastewater sector across the globe.”

HYBACS augments the widely-implemented activated sludge process, with the core benefit being that it enables an existing activated sludge plant to be rapidly upgraded for increased capacity and performance, by simple offline installation of SMART Units.

Fergus Rooksby, Commercial Director of Bluewater Bio, concluded: “HYBACS’ ability to increase existing plants capacities by around 2.5 times, without the need for significant additional structures, makes it ideally suited to many of the regions current needs of expanding populations, limited space and increasing need for high quality TSE for reuse. Where existing plants are already overloaded the ability to build the additional capacity entirely offline and so avoid compromising the already stressed assets any further, are proving to be compelling factors for a number of our clients. Furthermore, the technology’s modularity enables client’s to phase their spend and tailor it more to their immediate needs rather than having to build plants with 10-15 year design horizons. With a healthy order book and increasing pipeline, we look forward to building upon our momentum into the New Year and beyond.”