CAIRO, Egypt, June 9, 2009 -- Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) announced today that its 50/50 joint venture with Spanish group Aqualia, Orasqualia was awarded Egypt's first Public Private Partnership (PPP) concession for the construction and operation of the New Cairo Waste Water Treatment Plant.

The 20-year concession was tendered by the Egyptian Ministry of Housing, Utilities & Urban Developments in coordination with the Ministry of Finance. The overall contract value during the concession period is EGP 2.646 billion (USD 472 million) and includes the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) of the plant and the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) during the contract period. The wastewater treatment plant will have a capacity of 250,000 m³ per day and will serve over one million people.

The project is expected to commence construction during Q4 2009 and will take approximately 24 months to complete. After completion of the plant, Orasqualia will operate and maintain the plant for the remaining 18 years of the concession.

Aqualia gestion integral del agua S.A. is a water management company serving more than 26 million people in over 1,100 municipalities worldwide. The company operates in over 14 countries in Europe, Central America, Asia and the Middle East and North Africa, and has recently opened a new office in the United Arab Emirates specifically for MENA region development.

OCI Construction Group ranks among the top global contractors and operates under three distinct brands. The three groups provide a range of construction services in key regional markets in the Middle East and North Africa in addition to Europe, Africa and Central Asia.