Kuwait has approved a major contract for the Kabd North Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP), awarding the project to China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), reports Zawya.
The approval, published in the Kuwaiti Official Gazette, confirms that the Central Agency for Public Tenders (CAPT) has authorised the Ministry of Public Works to proceed with a direct agreement with CSCEC. The contract is valued at approximately 998 million Kuwaiti dinars, equivalent to about $3.2 billion.
The decision follows reports published in October indicating that Kuwait was preparing to sign a contract with China for the North Kabd project. At the time, the government said the plant would be designed to treat up to 1 million cubic metres of wastewater per day using advanced treatment technologies. The latest approval confirms both the scale of the facility and the contractor selected to deliver it.
Once operational, the Kabd North WWTP is expected to play a central role in strengthening Kuwait’s wastewater management system. Despite substantial treatment capacity, reuse of treated effluent has long been constrained by storage limitations, infrastructure challenges and quality requirements, with significant volumes historically discharged into the sea or used mainly for irrigation.
Under the newly approved contract, CSCEC will be responsible for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the facility for a 10-year period. The project was initially planned under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
The Kabd North plant forms part of a broader portfolio of large-scale developments Kuwait is advancing with Chinese participation. These include transport infrastructure, power and water projects, renewable energy initiatives, waste management schemes and new residential developments, reflecting deepening bilateral cooperation.
The contract award marks an important step in Kuwait’s efforts to modernise its wastewater infrastructure and enhance long-term water sustainability.
