Egypt names 17 consortiums to bid for water desalination plants run on renewables

Ahram Online , Monday 1 May 2023

The Sovereign Fund of Egypt (TSFE) has prequalified 17 consortiums to bid for the development of water desalination projects run by renewable energy in different locations in the first phase of Egypt's water desalination programme, TSFE announced on Monday.

Water desalination plant.
Water desalination plant.
 

The programme includes the launch of projects with a total capacity of 8.85 million cubic metres a day (MCMD) by 2050. The first phase will see the completion of projects with a capacity of 3.35 MCMD by 2025.
 
The water desalination programme is meant to attract foreign and local investors to construct and operate plants powered by renewable energy. It also aims to promote the transfer of technology and localise the manufacturing of key desalination components, according to TSFE.
 
Egypt faces an annual water deficit of around seven billion cubic metres, according to the UNICEF.
 
Several stakeholders will be involved in the first phase of the project, including entities that fall under the Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, such as the New and Urban Communities Authority and the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater, as well as the Suez Canal Authority, which will serve as the off-taker for projects within its geographic mandate.
 
The prequalified consortiums fall into four categories based on their experience in similar projects regionally and globally. Each category has a certain range of capacity for projects.
 
The first category will bid for projects with a capacity of up to one MCMD. It includes ACWA Power, Sumitomo Corporation, Enertech Holding Co, Utico FZC, SEPCO, Concrete Plus, Abengoa, Cuasar, Infinity Energy, GS Inima, China Energy Engineering Corporation, AEW, Gama, SOGEX, WABAG, Sacyr Agua, TAM Environmental Services, Desalia SL, Al-Ahly Capital, Orascom Construction, Scatec, Toyota Tsusho Corp, Acciona Agua, Metito Utilities, Hassan Allam Holding, Engie, Meridiam Infrastructure Africa Fund II, Suez International, and Elsewedy Electric.
 
The second category will bid for projects with a capacity of up to 600,000 cubic metres a day (CMD). It includes AMEA Power Ltd, Safbon, ICAT, Aqualia, Globaleq, Ignis, Samcrete, Taqa Arabia, Al-Ghanem International, Beijing Enterprises Water Group Ltd, and Asia-Africa Green Energy Investment.
 
The third category will bid for projects with a maximum of 400,000 CMD. It includes Sinohydro Hong Kong Holding Ltd, Qingdao Desalination, and SEPCO III Electric Power.
 
The fourth category will bid for projects with a maximum capacity of 200,000 CMD. It includes Desal Egypt, EMCO Engineering, Amarenco Solarize Egypt, and Redcon Construction.
 
Egypt seeks to boost private sector participation in the economy to 65 percent in the coming three years, up from 30 percent at present, in line with a broader plan to spur growth, create jobs, and boost competitiveness amid the global crises.
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