In February 2020, Construction Review reported that construction of the seawater desalination plant for Sfax was set to begin in March 2020. The announcement came from Abdallah Rabhi, Secretary of State for Water Resources and Fisheries. The plant in Gargour, 20 km from Sfax, was to deliver 100,000 m³/day, and the utility Sonede planned to double it to 200,000 m³/day later. A reservoir, a pumping station and pipelines were included. Phase one required US$335 million, including a US$278 million JICA loan.
The report showed a familiar pattern: a state water utility planned a large seawater desalination plant and funded most of its first phase with a loan from an international lender.
Source: Construction Review