Egypt To Build 21 Desalination Plants Using Sovereign Fund

Egypt plans to award deals next year to build 21 water desalination plants in the first $3 billion phase of a program that will draw on cheap renewable energy, the CEO of the country's sovereign fund said, Aidan Lewis and Sarah El Safty reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: Egypt is trying to boost lagging investment in renewables and also aims to start production at a series of proposed green hydrogen projects in 2025-2026.

The announcement was made as Egypt, which recently hosted the COP27 UN climate talks and is trying to boost lagging investment in renewables, also aims to start production at a series of proposed green hydrogen projects in 2025-2026, Ayman Soliman told the Reuters NEXT conference.

Egypt depends almost entirely on the Nile for fresh water, and faces rising water scarcity for its population of 104 million. The desalination program aims to generate 3.3 million cubic meters of water daily in the first phase, and eventually reach 8.8 million cubic meters daily at a cost of $8 billion.

There have been expressions of interest from more than 200 developers from at least 35 countries for the first phase, Soliman said.

The Sovereign Fund was set up in 2018 with the goal of attracting private investment in state-owned assets through partnerships and co-investments. It is currently focused on getting private consortia to develop brownfield infrastructure, and private equity to develop state-owned enterprises ahead of public listings.

Privatization plans in Egypt have been repeatedly pushed back, with the government blaming delays on economic shocks including the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine as well as on legal obstacles. The plans have also met resistance from advocates of continued state control, analysts say.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic