Veolia to build Africa’s largest seawater desalination project

FRENCH utilities giant Veolia has struck a deal to develop Africa’s largest seawater desalination project, expected to provide water to nearly 9.3m people.

The deal with the Kingdom of Morocco will see the project located in the capital of Rabat, where Veolia will be responsible for the construction, financing, and operation of the plant for 35 years.

More than 40 years' experience

Veolia has an extensive history in seawater desalination, processing 13m m3 of water every day across 108 countries.

It specialises in four types of seawater desalination: multi-stage flash distillation, multiple effect distillation, reverse osmosis, and hybrid desalination.

The majority of the company’s plants are situated in the Middle East, specifically in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Morocco's water scarcity

Morocco has seen annual rain deficits since 2015, leading to chronic water shortages and threatening access to drinking water.

Since 2020, the country has implemented a National Water Plan which will see almost US$40bn invested into its water sector, including the development of desalination plants.

Veolia’s project will have a capacity to produce 822,000 m3 of drinking water per day and supply water to the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra and Fès-Meknès regions.

Estelle Brachlianoff, CEO of Veolia, said: “We are fully aware of the urgency of the situation and proud to contribute to this major project, which will strengthen the country’s water resilience.”