Morocco Launches Tender for Water Desalination Plant Feasibility Study

Rabat – Morocco has opened a tender for companies to express interest in conducting feasibility studies for a sea-water desalination plant in the country’s Oriental region.

Morocco’s Directorate of Research and Planning of the Moroccan Ministry of Equipment and Water said that interested companies are invited to submit their applications in less than a month, according to converging news reports.

The directorate of research and planning is set to officially open the tender on June 28 in the capital Rabat, reports indicate.

The winning company will claim a 15-month contract to conduct a feasibility study on the site of the project. The planned desalination plant would be located near the Nador-Driouech area in the country’s Oriental region.

The extent of the feasibility study is three-fold. The first dimension of the study concerns the technical aspect, as the company will focus on identifying an optimal location for the plant and provide a detailed description of the surrounding environment.

In addition, the technical study would include an assessment of the quality of the seawater in the study area. The third part of the feasibility study concerns the environmental impact assessment (EIA) to determine the potential environmental and social impact of the project.

The company conducting the study will have access to $2 million in funding, reports indicate.

Once operational, the seawater desalination plant will have sufficient capacity to supply 3 million liters of water on a daily basis. The project’s capacity is expected to double in the coming years.

The project will likely help ease prevalent water stress issues in the region as the Nador-Driouech is highly exposed to droughts that often lead to water scarcity.

Water processed through the plant is meant for consumption and irrigation in the Nador-Driuouech and Lower Moulouya regions.

The timing of the project is critical, as the country’s water resources have been especially impacted by this year’s severe droughts, resulting in a significant decrease in the filling rate of dams.