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Join on Telegram Rabat – The city of Casablanca launched last week the selection process for the construction of a seawater desalination plant project, Africa’s biggest desalination plant.
Abengoa, a Spanish construction company that built a similar plant in Agadir in southern Morocco, announced in a communique on Sunday that it is taking part in the selection process for the Casablanca desalination plant.
The Spanish firm said that it has submitted to ONEE, Morocco’s water and electricity office, all of the necessary documentation for the pre-qualification of the Casablanca desalination project.
According to Abengoa, the Casablanca facility will be established in collaboration with Engie, a French multinational utility company. It will have a capacity of 548,000 m3 per day, extendable to 822,000 m3, and will employ reverse osmosis technology to supply the drinking water and irrigation needs of around 5,000 hectares of land.
As well as supplying desalinated water for another operator to service the irrigation demands of a 5,000-hectare perimeter, the project is meant to reinforce water security for a considerable portion of the Casablanca-Settat area.
The project covers three geographical zones, each with an expected population of around 6.7 million people in 2020. The areas covered include the Greater Casablanca zone, which includes the Wilaya (governorate) of Casablanca, Mohammedia, and its surrounding urban and rural centers; the Berrechid-Settat area, and the El Jadida-Azemmour area.
The planned facility will be located in the town of Bir Jdid, 40 kilometers south of Casablanca, 50 kilometers from El Jadida, and 65 kilometers from Settat. It will be based on a 50-hectare plot of land that is accessible and open to the shore.
Read also: Morocco Launches Tender for Water Desalination Plant Feasibility Study
The project will be fully funded through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
According to ONEE, the project will take 30 years to plan, finance, build, and operate, including three years for construction and 27 years for operation.
Construction is set to begin in June 2023, according to the preliminary timeline. The project’s first phase is scheduled to be completed in June 2026, while the second phase is supposed to start in 2030.
