Metito Utilities and Tahliya Group chose the COP28 village to sign an agreement on the development of two seawater desalination projects powered by renewable energy in Morocco.
Metito Utilities will develop two water desalination projects using renewable energy in Morocco. The subsidiary of the Emirati group Métito Holdings recently announced these projects, which it will implement in collaboration with the Tahliya group. The partnership agreement was signed recently on the sidelines of the 28th United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
UAE companies Metito and Tahliya will build two seawater desalination plants in the Kingdom of Morocco. The treated water will be used to supply multi-user irrigation systems, at a time when freshwater resources are dwindling drastically in Morocco due to drought.
Plants powered by renewable energies
“Morocco is a key market, as it promises immense potential as an investment centre, given the diversity of assets and the favourable business climate. We will examine the possibility of mobilising multiple pockets of capital and expertise to deliver the planned projects, including potentially the African Water Infrastructure Development (AWID),” says the company headed by Mutaz Ghandour.
To date, barely 500 m3 of freshwater is available per inhabitant per year in the Kingdom of Morocco, compared with 2,500 m3 in 1960 according to the United Nations (UN). The new desalination plants should improve the supply of water for irrigation and drinking water.
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The plants will be powered by renewable energies, in particular solar and wind power. This should help to reduce the annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the plants, and thus move towards less energy-intensive and more sustainable desalination.
Inès Magoum
