National Water to transfer operations, maintenance to private sector in 2022; no IPO plans yet

Mohammed Almowkley, CEO of National Water Co.

Saudi Arabia's National Water Co. (NWC) will transfer the operations and maintenance management to the private sector in early 2022, CEO Mohammed Almowkley told Argaam on the sidelines of the ceremony to mark the completion of the restructuring and consolidation of the water distribution sector in the Kingdom.

Almowkley said the privatization of the water sector will range between 50% and 60%, adding that the privatization is the main enabler of the water services success in the Kingdom.

The operation and maintenance contracts that have been, or will be, awarded to local and international alliances will exceed SAR 1 billion over seven years, the CEO said.

He added that work depends on the objectives of the agreed performance indicators, which will be reflected in slashing the total costs of the water system, starting from production until water reaches the final consumers. This is followed by the franchise stage.

When asked about offering NWC in an initial public offering (IPO), Almowkley said it is too early to talk about this issue.

"We are mainly keen on arranging the water sector services under one umbrella, conducting financial restructuring and rationalizing expenditures," the top executive said.

"In the future, we will have clear data on revenues, costs, and others, which will enable us to take the appropriate decision,” he concluded.