Thailand is looking to overcome market inertia and legal challenges to increase private sector involvement in water supply for its rapidly growing industrial heartland. This month, the country's Ministry of Finance had planned to sign up a new raw water distributor - Wong Siam Construction Company - for a 30-year lease contract covering three raw water pipelines in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) region. The 136km-long pipelines will supply 135 million m~3/year of raw surface water (around 370,000m~3/d) on a wholesale basis to industrial estates, factories, and waterworks, generating annual revenues of around THB1.4 billion ($39 million), based on 2021 figures. The pipelines have been operated by SET-listed concessionaire East Water since 1994 under a contract which is due to expire in December 2023. The process was, however, held up at the eleventh hour by a complaint filed by East Water over the transparency of the bidding process, and a final decision is now expected by the end of the year.
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