Israel's national water company, Mekorot, has announced that the turnkey contract for the desalination plant in Ashdod had been awarded by its subsidiary, Mekorot Development & Enterprise, to the IVM joint venture of Minrav Holdings Ltd and Spain's Sacyr Vallehermoso SA unit, SADYT.

The Ashdod plant is expected to start producing desalinated water in April 2012 and is the first facility to be established under the emergency water program. The USD 420 million plant will supply 100 million m3 of water a year.