RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s National Water Co. has signed two deals worth SR714 million ($190 million) with firms in the private sector to operate water and environmental treatment services in the western and northern clusters, according to a statement. The first contract worth SR365 million was signed with the Saudi-French consortium of Al-Awael Modern Contracting Co. and SUEZ Group to manage operations and maintenance of the western cluster, the Makkah region and its governorates. Valued at over SR349 million, the second contract was inked with the Saudi-Spanish consortium of International Water Distribution Co., known as Tawzea, Haji Abdullah Alireza & Co., and FCC Aqualia to manage operations and maintenance of the northern cluster, the Qassim, Hail, Al-Jouf, and Northern Borders regions. The privatization contracts will contribute to boosting project implementation and help attract investments, Nemer bin Mohammed Al-Shebel, interim CEO of NWC, said