The Dubai Municipality is expected to conduct separate tenders for the first two sections of the Dubai Strategic Sewage Tunnel (DSST) project, valued at $22 billion, in the near future.

The DSST project was first initiated in 2015, but after the feasibility study was completed in 2017, it was unable to start construction as originally planned. It was not until 2023, when it received funding support from the Dubai Crown Prince's $21.8 billion "Sewage System Plan," that it was able to restart. The estimated total investment for this project has increased from 12.5 billion US dollars to 22 billion US dollars.

The DSST project aims to meet the needs of Dubai's population for the next 100 years, in line with Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and Dubai Urban Planning 2040. The DSST project is expected to be completed within five years, by which time this deep tunnel drainage system will replace Dubai's existing 121 sewage pumping stations that require electricity consumption, converting Dubai's existing sewage system from a pumping system to a gravity system, greatly reducing the operating costs of the sewage system.

The DSST project is divided into six sections, each of which will be awarded in PPP mode, with an estimated franchise period of 25 to 35 years.

Currently, four sections (J1, J2, J3, W) have released partial engineering information, including deep sewage tunnels, connecting lines, and transportation systems

The J1 section includes the northern section of the Jebel Ali Deep Tunnel and the Terminal Pumping Station (TPS). The tunnel length of this section is about 42 kilometers, and the connecting line length is about 10 kilometers. The Jebel Ali Deep Tunnel is another deep tunnel drainage project in Dubai, with sections 1 and 2 completed in 2022.

The J2 section includes the southern section of the Jebel Ali Deep Tunnel. It is expected to extend the tunnel by 16 kilometers and the connecting line length is expected to be 46 kilometers.

The W section includes the Watson Tunnel, Terminal Pump Station (TPS), and connecting lines. The Watson Tunnel is 16 kilometers long and connects to the existing Watson sewage collection area in Dubai, with an estimated connection length of 46 kilometers.

The J4 section includes a 120 kilometer connecting line.

The J1, J2, and W sections will be tendered according to the "design build finance operation maintenance" model. After completion, the winning PPP contractor will be responsible for operation and maintenance, and the franchise period is expected to be 25 to 35 years. The J3 section will be tendered according to the design build finance model and will be operated by the Dubai Municipality after completion.

The remaining two sections of the project include the expansion and upgrade of the Jebel Ali and Warsan sewage treatment plants, which will be procured in the later stage. (This article is from the official website of Jian Dao www.seetao.com. Reproduction without permission is prohibited, otherwise it will be prosecuted. Please indicate Jian Dao website+original link when reprinting.) Jian Dao website strategy column editor/Li Xiu'e