The Metito-Orascom alliance plans to establish desalination plants in Libya and Iraq in the coming period.
Karim Medawar, the Managing Director of Metito Africa Group, told Daily News Egypt that his company is looking to work in the Libyan and Iraqi markets in cooperation with Orascom, and there are opportunities available to establish water desalination plants at a cost of no less than $50m.
Metito implements several desalination plants in North Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, where the number of projects it has implemented in Egypt has reached about five plants.
It is also currently implementing the largest desalination plant in Tunisia, with a capacity of 100,000 cubic metres per day, in partnership with Orascom.
Additionally, Metito has completed the implementation of the first and largest floating water desalination plant in Saudi Arabia with a capacity of 50,000 cubic metres per day and two additional plants with a total capacity of 100,000 cubic metres per day are scheduled to be completed soon.
Medawar explained that Egypt accounts for 20% of Metito’s business in Africa, which shows the company’s willingness to work in Egypt and its desire to capitalise on opportunities to increase this percentage by taking part in the infrastructure projects being implemented by the government encompassing electricity, roads, tunnels, and ports.
Egypt has developed an integrated strategy to implement an ambitious plan — the largest in the Middle East — to implement huge water projects with the integration of the seawater desalination strategy, which is within Egypt’s 2030 Vision.
The state is also implementing several new projects to develop and operate projects for water desalination, sewage treatment, and agricultural drainage treatment and recycling in support of the state’s policy for rational water management, with the possibility of using alternative and renewable energy in these projects to reduce the country’s carbon footprint and the cost of consumed energy.
These projects seek to achieve the sustainability of natural resources and the distribution of stations to different places throughout the republic according to demand and need.
They also will provide clean water and sanitation services in all regions and enhance water security by reducing dependence on the Nile River and securing alternative sources of water, especially coastal areas, through the establishment of seawater desalination plants.
