In November 2017, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House) reported that Muscat City Desalination Company (MCDC), operator of the Al Ghubra desalination plant in Oman, publicly offered 35 per cent of its capital. The step followed a government agreement favouring Omani investors. Shares at OMR 0.116 could be bought on the Muscat Securities Market until 18 December 2017. The 191,000 m³/day reverse osmosis plant had cost $215 million. Malakoff International, Sumitomo and Cadagua had held the 2012 BOO contract; the OPWP offtake deal ran to 2034.
The report showed how Oman opened private water projects to domestic investors through the stock exchange, tying desalination operating companies to the local capital market.