Acciona is in the box seat to build and run the critical $2.8 billion Alkimos desalination plant but there are concerns the contractor’s recent WA projects have run into problems.
Morocco already has 11 desalination stations but intends to “triple its capacities by 2030”, says Médias 24 , by adding 9 new stations to the 11 existing and 7 currently under construction. With this comprehensive project of stations capable of producing nearly 1.3 billion cubic meters of drinking and irrigation water per year, the kingdom intends to develop a local industry. The government predicts that, ultimately, around 50% of drinking water will come from the desalination of sea water, notes Le360 .
A plant capacity of 50,000 m3/day will be built on island of Djerba.
With a daily capacity of 300 m3, the new desalination plant will meet 100% of the water requirements for the Red Sea Diving Safari – Marsa Shagra complex throughout the year. The water produced by the plant will be supplied to the hotel’s guests through a distribution network.
To date, barely 500 m3 of freshwater is available per inhabitant per year in the Kingdom of Morocco, compared with 2,500 m3 in 1960 according to the United Nations (UN). The new desalination plants should improve the supply of water for irrigation and drinking water.
Through the Desalination Center of Excellence, ENGIE aims to secure access to sustainable water for people so that future generations flourish and live in harmony. Through the center, ENGIE endeavors to unleash the group desalination know-how and experience to drive strategic and operational decisions. With ENGIE currently producing 5,800,000 m³/d of desalinated water daily, the Center is positioned to play a crucial role in meeting the growing global demand for water. It aims to address this challenge by utilizing the desalination capabilities it has developed in the region.
JSE-listed Growthpoint Properties and the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), equal joint owners of the Victoria & Alfred (V&A) Waterfront in Cape Town, will be commissioning a R184 million desalination plant in the precinct in March and April next year.
In Info-Box 1 Water needs and its average cost based on a desalination price of 0.50 US$ per cubic meter. The price of desalinated water alone exceeds the selling price of the crop. In contrastScientechnix breakthrough makes desalination cost acceptable for irrigation.
The desalination plant will provide SWW with an additional, long-term, water source capable of producing up to 20 million litres of water per day – approximately 40% of the current water demand for Cornwall.