With Egypt increasingly turning to seawater desalination as a solution to water stress, Saudi Arabian company Acwa Power is more than ever considering investing in this fast-growing sector. In Egypt, the company is already investing in renewable energies, particularly solar and wind power.
Acwa Power wants to diversify its investments in Egypt. The Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based company recently organised a meeting with the Egyptian authorities to present its seawater desalination solutions. Like most North African countries, Egypt is facing water stress. The country faces an annual water deficit and, according to the United Nations, is expected to be classified as a water-poor country by 2025.
Desalination is one of the solutions favoured (along with the reuse of treated wastewater) by the authorities to avoid depleting the water of the Nile, whose flow will gradually decrease over the next few years due to the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Ethiopia. To encourage private sector investment, Egypt has opened up the desalination sector to public-private partnerships (PPPs).
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Acwa wants to take advantage of this favourable context to develop desalination projects in the country. The company, headed by Marco Arcelli, operates 16 desalination plants with a combined capacity of 6.8 million m3 per day. “We look forward to working closely with the Egyptian authorities over the coming years, who clearly share our commitment to the sustainable and responsible development of its communities and to ensuring a better future for all,” said Acwa Power’s CEO after the meeting with the Egyptian Prime Minister.
Mostafa Madbouly welcomed Acwa Power’s desire to diversify its activities in Egypt. In addition to photovoltaic solar energy, the company, which employs more than 4,000 people worldwide, wants to invest in wind power, notably through a 10,000 MW megaproject under development to the west of the town of Sohag. The company is also interested in the emerging hydrogen industry.
Jean Marie Takouleu
