December 2009
Less than a month after the submission of bids, Mekorot Israel National Water Company announces:
The IVM consortium, comprising Minrav Holding Ltd. and Spain’s SADYT, has won the international tender of Mekorot Development and Enterprise Ltd. for the building of the seawater desalination plant at Ashdod.
Mekorot Development and Enterprise, a subsidiary of Mekorot Israel National Water Company, announced today (18 November 2009) that the IVM consortium, comprising Minrav Holding Ltd. and Spain’s SADYT, has won the international tender for the building of the seawater desalination plant at Ashdod. The announcement was made one month after the bids were submitted in the tender on 19 October 2009, thus completing the tender process, which began with its publication on 1 February 2009.
At this evening’s meeting, the Board of Directors of Mekorot Development and Enterprise unanimously approved the decision of the tenders committee, headed by CEO Mr. Giora Gutman, and expressed its satisfaction at the correctness of the procedure and in its results.
The bid by the IVM consortium, comprising Minrav Holding Ltd. and Spain’s SADYT, was chosen in accordance with the rules for the selection of the winner, and meets all the requirements of the tender. It enables Mekorot Development and Enterprise to establish the project in accordance with the Israeli government cabinet decision no. 4341 of 18 December 2008, and on the basis of the challenging timetable given the international tenders committee for seawater desalination, headed by Senior Deputy Accountant General Mr. Gil Shabtai.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mekorot Israel National Water Company, Mr. Eli Ronen, said, “The Mekorot Group continues to demonstrate its ability to stand at the forefront in all matters concerning the State of Israel’s water economy, and the government’s demand to build the desalination plant at Ashdod.” Ronen emphasized that Mekorot Development and Enterprise was ahead of schedule set by international tenders committee for seawater desalination, which clearly demonstrated the ability of the company to build the facility as soon as possible with the goal of easing the distress in the water economy.
The Mekorot Chairman congratulated the winning consortium, and thanked all the bidders in the tender for their intense efforts in preparing the bids. “The three bidders have proven capabilities and reputations in the desalination industry, and I wish to thank them for their bids in the tender. I believe that Mekorot Group will continue to lead the Israeli water economy,” added Ronen.
The Ashdod desalination plant is scheduled to begin producing desalinated water in April 2012. It will be the first plant to be built to supply fresh water under the emergency plan for the water economy. The plant will supply 100 million cubic meters of desalinated water a year.
For further information: Hila Izhak, Mekorot Spokeswoman, 03-6230705.