Egypt Aims for Daily Production of 10 Million Cubic Meters of Desalinated Water

Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Egypt’s Prime Minister, convened a meeting on Monday with officials from Aqua Power to discuss frameworks for cooperation in implementing seawater desalination projects.

The meeting was attended by Mahmoud Issa, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy; Randa El-Manshawy, Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities; Ahmed Imran, Deputy Minister of Housing for Utilities; Mohamed Abunyan, Chairman of Aqua Power; Hisham Ghabashi, Regional President for Aqua Power in the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia; Hassan Amin, CEO of Aqua Power in Egypt; and Ater Hanoura, Financial Advisor to the Minister of Finance for Public Private Partnership Projects.

During the meeting, Dr. Madbouly emphasized the historical strategic significance of the relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. He praised the ongoing collaboration under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, noting that this strong relationship serves as a powerful impetus to enhance economic partnerships and expand joint cooperation in developmental projects.

The Prime Minister pointed out that the meeting’s primary aim is to discuss cooperation frameworks for seawater desalination projects. He acknowledged the extensive expertise that Aqua Power possesses in this sector and highlighted ongoing efforts to initiate several desalination projects in various governorates. The government aims to attract major companies to execute these initiatives.

Currently, Egypt produces approximately 1.8 million cubic meters of desalinated water daily and aims to increase this figure to 10 million cubic meters per day. Dr. Madbouly stressed that the current goal is to secure competitive offers and commence project implementation.

The Prime Minister also noted that the state is focused on localizing industries related to seawater desalination, contributing to achieving various targets within this vital sector.

During the meeting, Minister Randa El-Manshawy indicated that several discussions had already taken place with company officials regarding planned desalination projects in specific governorates. She mentioned that there are competing offers from multiple companies and emphasized efforts to secure the best options concerning pricing and industrial localization.

Mohamed Abunyan, Chairman of Aqua Power, expressed gratitude for the unwavering support from leadership in both countries aimed at enhancing joint investments. He highlighted his pride in being present in Egypt and his appreciation for this significant meeting focused on strategic water desalination projects. He noted that this gathering followed a series of fruitful meetings previously held with the housing minister and ministry officials.

Abunyan also mentioned his prior meeting with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi where he gained insights into the president’s strategic vision regarding various developmental projects. He revealed that Aqua Power’s investments in Egypt currently amount to $4 billion and emphasized that their successful experience in the electricity sector serves as a strong motivator for expanding their developmental projects. He reaffirmed their commitment to investing further in this crucial sector given Egypt’s reliability as a trustworthy partner.

Abunyan elaborated that Aqua Power has submitted proposals concerning projects put forth by the Ministry of Housing. The company has partnered with one of the leading manufacturers of membranes required for water treatment plants, aiming to establish a factory in Egypt while also focusing on training personnel involved in membrane manufacturing as well as operating desalination facilities. A training center will be established in Egypt to facilitate these tasks.

He noted that Aqua Power currently produces about 11 million cubic meters of desalinated water daily in Saudi Arabia and expressed their commitment to providing competitive offers for these strategic projects in Egypt while praising Minister El-Manshawy’s professional approach during negotiations with company representatives.