Faced with a lack of water, Egypt, which recently hosted COP27, is betting on the reuse of seawater with an investment of three billion dollars.
The ambition is strong. Egypt wants to produce 3.3 million cubic meters of desalinated water per day in 2025 against 800,000 today. The Egyptian Sovereign Fund has been mandated by the government to mobilize the three billion dollars needed to build 21 factories. This first phase of the desalination plan is regularly announced with great fanfare by the Egyptian authorities, who are however struggling to convince donors.
Because Egypt is in a difficult economic situation, with a devalued currency and record public debt. Not enough, however, to discourage the CEO of the sovereign fund, Ayman Soliman, who intends to support future factories on renewable energies. Egypt had announced during the COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh its ambition to create a green hydrogen sector based on solar energy.
Desalination plus green energy, the cocktail has already attracted the interest of 200 companies, according to Ayman Soliman, who has not yet announced any contracts concluded. However, Cairo is part of a global dynamic favorable to the Middle East. Countries like Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia already depend mainly on their desalination plants for their water supply.
► Also to be heard: Egypt: the need to accelerate sustainable water management