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Arab Finance: Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and officials from Saudi Arabia-based ACWA Power discussed frameworks for cooperation on seawater desalination projects as Egypt moves forward with plans to expand desalination capacity and increase production to 10 million cubic meters per day, as per a statement.
Madbouly said the government is currently preparing to launch several seawater desalination projects across different governorates and is seeking to attract major international companies to participate in their implementation.
He noted that Egypt currently produces 1.8 million cubic meters of desalinated water per day and aims to increase that figure to 10 million cubic meters per day.
The prime minister added that the government is focused on securing competitive proposals for the projects while also advancing the localization of industries linked to seawater desalination to support the development of the sector.
For her part, Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities Randa El-Menshawy said the ministry has held several meetings with ACWA Power to review planned desalination projects and discuss implementation details.
She added that the government is evaluating proposals from multiple companies and will select projects based on factors including pricing, local manufacturing content, and other technical and economic considerations.
Meanwhile, ACWA Power Chairman Mohammed Abunayyan said ACWA Power's investments in Egypt have reached $4 billion, adding that the company's experience in Egypt's electricity sector has encouraged it to explore additional development opportunities in the country.
Abunayyan mentioned that ACWA Power has submitted proposals for desalination projects offered by the Ministry of Housing and is working with a leading membrane manufacturer to establish a membrane production facility in Egypt. The initiative will also include training programs for workers involved in membrane manufacturing as well as the construction and operation of desalination plants.
He also noted that the company also plans to establish a training center in Egypt to support workforce development in the sector.
Moreover, he added that ACWA Power currently produces around 11 million cubic meters of desalinated water per day in Saudi Arabia and is seeking to offer competitive proposals for Egypt's planned projects.
