Utilities Middle East
The project is located in the southern city of Agadir, Morocco’s tenth largest city by population, home to over 450,000 people.
Morocco is building Africa’s largest seawater desalination station, expected to start commercial operations by 2021.
The project is located in the southern city of Agadir, Morocco’s tenth largest city by population, home to over 450,000 people.
The plant is expected to initiate at 275.000 cubic meters of desalinated water daily, with a capped peak output of 450.000 cubic meters per day at full functionality. In phase one, the objective is to supply the Souss-Massa region’s 2.3 million population with drinking water. In phase two, the station will irrigate a considerable farming area, reportedly 15,000 hectares in the Chtouka Ait Baha area.
Agriculture is a mainstay of Souss-Massa, with its capital city Agadir renowned for its sardine and tourist port, which is why the government chose that location. It is also why the fish farmers and other processors of agricultural products are excited to contribute.
Although the project is costing financiers some MAD 4 billion, the farmers have added their MAD 10.000 to the funds, in exchange for a discounted government offer on future desalinated water sales.
In 2017, Morocco’s minister of Economy and Finance Mohamed Boussaid, and Minister of Agriculture, Aziz Akhannouch, had signed the conventions initiating the construction.
The county had then entrusted the project to Abengoa, a global biotech company who are also “specialists in the design and construction of desalination and water treatment plants.”
