Sayed Ismail, the Deputy Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities for Infrastructure Affairs, met with representatives of a global and local alliance specialized in water purification technology solutions, Invest-Gate reports.

The alliance aims to enhance its market position in sustainable projects in seawater desalination with renewable energy resources at various locations in Egypt. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Project Management Unit (PMU) at the Ministry of Housing, as part of the state’s plans to maximize the utilization of all available water resources.

Ismail emphasized that this meeting aligns with the state’s efforts to encourage private sector participation in project implementation, in line with the Cabinet’s launch of the State Ownership Policy Document. It also aims to overcome obstacles hindering private sector participation in drinking water and sanitation projects.

Moreover, Ismail explained that the state’s keen interest in seawater desalination is driven by the need to meet the continuous increase in water demand resulting from social and economic growth coupled with population growth and climate change. He highlighted the current status of desalination projects in Egypt and the significant increase in the capacity of desalination plants since 2014, reaching approximately tenfold.

He added that the strategic challenges facing desalination, such as striking a balance between service cost and tariff rates collected from citizens and measuring citizen satisfaction, are being addressed.

The magnitude of investments required for desalination plant construction and the high costs of operation and maintenance have necessitated the involvement and encouragement of the private sector as a key partner in the desalination project system. This is to benefit from their expertise and enhance the sector’s efficiency according to the latest technologies and methods used in implementing, maintaining, and managing desalination projects.