Several companies peering into desalination market in Egypt

The Egyptian authorities recently reported that some international companies have made proposals for projects to build seawater desalination plants in the country. They would like to develop these projects within the framework of public-private partnerships (PPPs).
The Egyptian government plans to add 1.7 million m3 to the country’s drinking water network by the end of 2020. It plans to rely on the private sector, as it is currently doing to generate electricity from renewable sources. Such an ambition is on the way to becoming a reality as private companies have already expressed an interest in developing seawater desalination projects through public-private partnerships (PPPs).

Project proposals have been submitted by AquaSwiss, a Swiss company currently involved in the construction of two 130,000 m3 desalination plants in Mombasa, Kenya. The Spanish company Aqualia and the French company Schneider Electric, better known in Egypt for its renewable energy projects, are also on the list, as well as Metito, a water treatment company based in the United Arab Emirates.