Egypt signs contracts for desalination plants

Egypt has signed contracts with private companies to manage and maintain 11 seawater desalination plants, which together can produce 485,000 cubic meters of fresh water daily. The total value of these contracts is around 4.6 billion Egyptian pounds (84.6 million U.S. dollars), with an average annual cost of about 1.2 billion pounds.

Goal of the initiative

According to Egypt's Ministry of Housing, the initiative aims to improve the operation of these facilities by reducing breakdowns and service interruptions, optimizing energy use, and ensuring the quality of the water produced. This is part of a broader effort to enhance the reliability and efficiency of Egypt's water infrastructure.

Location and capacity of the plants

The contracts cover seven plants in the Sinai Peninsula, with a combined capacity of 240,000 cubic meters per day, three plants in the Matrouh governorate, totaling 165,000 cubic meters per day, and one plant in the Red Sea region, capable of producing 80,000 cubic meters per day. These locations reflect the country's focus on coastal areas with high water demand.

Shift to preventive maintenance

Mostafa El-Cheimi, president of the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater, emphasized that the agreements aim to shift from corrective maintenance to a preventive approach. This should improve equipment availability, extend the lifespan of the facilities, and optimize their production capacity.

Private sector involvement

The contracts have been awarded to several specialized companies and consortia, including San Misr, Proserve, Orascom Construction, and others. This involvement is meant to strengthen the capabilities of affiliated companies in managing assets and ensuring technical control, not to reduce their role.

Egypt's long-term desalination strategy

These agreements are part of Egypt's broader strategy to expand desalination capacity to nearly 10 million cubic meters per day by 2050. The country is also working to develop a local industry to supply the necessary equipment for this expansion.

Local production of desalination equipment

The Saudi Arabian group ACWA Power has announced a project to build a factory for reverse osmosis membranes, a key component of desalination plants. This would help strengthen the local supply of equipment needed for the industry's growth.

International support for desalination

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) supports a desalination project by the company Ridgewood in Egypt. The project is expected to increase production capacity from 10,000 to 15,000 cubic meters per day while improving energy and operational efficiency.

Current and future desalination capacity

According to the Ministry of Housing, Egypt currently has about 129 desalination plants in operation, producing 1.4 million cubic meters of water daily. Nineteen more facilities are under construction, with a combined capacity of 687,000 cubic meters per day. The government aims to reach nearly 10 million cubic meters per day by 2050.