Rahman Al-Hussayen, the minister of water and electricity, said it was a significant step in the development and privatization of Saudi Arabia's water and power sector. While acknowledging the support and assistance from various organizations, the minister stressed that the project has had the full support of the government. "The output from the Shoiaba IWPP will play a major role in meeting the increasing demand for water and power in the Western region covering cities such as Jeddah, Makkah and Taif." Following the announcement of a competitive tender for the development of the Shuqaiq IWPP, WEC has received 44 Expressions of Interests (EI) from interested international, regional and local parties to build, own and operate the 850 MW and 212,000 m3/d project. WEC has sent the request for qualification documents to all the applicants.
