Abengoa Participates In Selection Method For Development Of Biggest Desalination Plant In Africa

Posted on : Thursday , 7th July 2022

The project, which will be situated in the Casablanca region of Morocco, will employ reverse osmosis technology to supply water for irrigation on about 5,000 hectares of land and have a capacity of 548,000 m3 per day, expandable to 822,000 m3.

In partnership with Engie, Abengoa has provided the ONEE with all the papers necessary to be pre-qualified for the Casablanca-Settat desalination facility.

Morocco: Abengoa is in the process of being pre-qualified to build ONEE's (Office National de l'Electricité et de l'Eau Potable) largest desalination plant in Africa, with a capacity of 548,000 m3 per day and an expansion capacity of 822,000 m3, using reverse osmosis technology to meet the demand for drinking water and irrigation of about 5,000 hectares of land.

Abengoa has completed the necessary paperwork to be pre-qualified for the Casablanca-Settat desalination plant in a partnership with Engie, one of the biggest energy firms in the world. Six consortiums have applied in total. In the first half of the next year, the contract signing is anticipated to mark the completion of the hiring process.

The key to ensuring the availability of food and water in the Casablanca-Settat region, among other advantages, is provided by this prequalification in response to the Moroccan government's special plan for this objective. The prequalified consortia must also offer a fully renewable energy solution for the consumed energy during the bidding stage, either through their own renewable production or by purchasing it from a third party under a long-term contract. This completely energy-efficient method is novel since the final tariff offered will internalise it. The consortium with the lowest integrated tariff will receive the contract.

According to company officials, Abengoa is working hard to maintain its leadership position in international desalination markets. It has five plants under construction with total capacity of 1.8 million m3/day spread across more than 30 desalination plants in more than 12 countries, which will be expanded to 4.4 million when the portfolio of 2.6 million under execution is completed, 610,000m3 of which are under Abengoa's O&M in Morocco, Algeria, and Ghana in 15 to 25 year contracts.

According to corporate representatives, Abengoa continues to make efforts to keep up its dominant position in the global desalination markets. It currently has five plants under construction and a total installed capacity of 1.8 million m3/day, spread across more than 30 desalination plants in 13 countries. When the portfolio of 2.6 million desalination plants under execution is finished, the capacity will be increased to 4.4 million, of which 610,000 m3 are under Abengoa's O&M in Morocco, Algeria, and Ghana under 15 to 25 year contracts.