On 7 January 2006, the Ministry of National Economy issued to potential bidders a request for proposal for the development of desalination facilities at Sur in the Sharqiyah region of the Sultanate of Oman on a build, own and operate (BOO) basis. The proposal included the purchase of the existing plant already at the location (with a capacity of about 2.66 MIGD) and the construction of a new desalination plant, with aggregate capacity of 17.66 MIGD using reverse osmosis technology for desalination.