Metito led consortium awarded new seawater desalination project in Sfax, Tunisia

• Metito to manage the operation and the maintenance of the plant for two years after completion

Metito, the leading global provider of water and alternative energy management solutions, announced that its consortium with Orascom and Cobra has won the tender to build a seawater desalination plant in Sfax, Tunisia, further strengthening the group’s presence in North Africa. The tender was raised by the Société Nationale d'Exploitation et de Distribution des Eaux (SONEDE), a public establishment of the Ministry of Agriculture Tunisia, to enhance water security in the country.

The project is fully funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Organization (JICA) and is set to begin operations in February 2024. Metito will carry out the design, procurement, and construction (EPC) of the project which is estimated to be complete within 30 months. Once operational, the plant will provide an output of 100,000 cubic meters of potable water per day, with the possibility of doubling its capacity to 200,000 cubic meters per day.

In addition to the construction, which began in August 2021, the JV will also be responsible for operating and maintaining the project for two years after its completion. The new desalination plant will play a critical role in advancing the growing relationship between Egypt and Tunisia, especially in the field of water.

Eng. Karim Madwar, Managing Director of Metito Africa, said: "Water is a key contributor to the socio-economic development, from industries, to families and farms. Water is also a scarce resource, and this is contributing to the surge in the global demand for seawater desalination. The new plant in Sfax will ensure that the local communities have access to a clean, secure, and sustainable water supply.”

In line with its vision to promote sustainable water management solutions and systems, Metito submitted its industry-leading, environment friendly solutions to develop the plant. The project is designed to consume the least amount of energy per cubic meter of water produced, which will positively impact the economics of operation and reduce the carbon footprint by employing advanced methods to recover energy from the brine (i.e., highly saline concentrated water).

Through a complex chemical process, desalination is performed in a sustainable and safe manner as the water is treated with special chemicals to equalize the pH of the reject water to bring its salinity as close to normal seawater as possible. This protects marine life and the overall ecosystem at the water drainage area.

The Sfax desalination plant also accommodates environmentally friendly seawater pumping and wastewater discharging mechanisms. To raise water production efficiency and enhance its quality, water is pumped through desalination membranes that operate using the reverse osmosis (RO) system. It is then subjected to several stages of desalination mechanisms to output the highest possible quality of potable water that matches the recognized international standards.

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About Metito:

Metito is a global leader and provider of choice for total intelligent water management solutions with operations covering three business areas: design and build, specialty chemicals, and utilities. With over 60 years of experience, the Group provides customized, comprehensive and advanced solutions across the full spectrum of its industry; from clean to dirty water; desalination and re-use; industrial solutions (up to hyper pure water); investing into water and wastewater assets; and structuring both Greenfield and Brownfield schemes under project finance structures. The Group also provides custom alternative energy development and management solutions for utilities and corporations looking to uphold sustainable operations through generating clean, emissions-free energy.

Metito successfully developed and executed thousands of projects across the world earning it the trust of market leaders and a reputation for professional excellence. The Group was the first to introduce the reverse osmosis technology for desalination outside the USA in 1972 and the first to pioneer concession contracts with private entities under Build Own Transfer (BOT), Build Own Operate (BOO), and Build Own Operate Transfer (BOOT) schemes in the Middle East, and under Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreements for bulk surface water supply concessions in Sub Saharan Africa.

The Group is at the forefront of the water and wastewater industry with an impressive project portfolio that includes more than 3000 projects in more than 46 countries managed by over 3500 experienced and talented employees worldwide in strategically located operational offices.

© Press Release 2021