Plans are underway for the construction of a wind-powered desalination plant in Morocco. The facility will be built by International Power and Nareva. The former is a subsidiary of the French group Engie while the latter is a subsidiary of the Moroccan group Al Mada.
The project will be executed through a PPP with Dakhla Water & Energy Company (DAWEC). DAWEC acquired this contract as part of a global call for tenders. Besides DAWEC, Veolia also submitted a bid alongside its neighbor Voltalia. The Emirati independent power producer (IPP) Amea Power, and the Spanish company Abengoa also took part in the process.
In-line with agreements made with the Moroccan government, DAWEC will use wind electricity to operate the desalination plant. This will be through a wind farm connected to the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water’s electricity grid (ONEE).
Expectatins for the wind-powered desalination plant in Morocco
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Upon completion, the wind-powered desalination plant in Morocco is expected to have the capacity to desalinate 100,000 m3/day. Moreover, the facility will be capable of supplying 37 million m3 of drinking water yearly.
The majority of the treated water, or 30 million m3, will be utilized to irrigate farmland. Thats in-line with the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fishing, Rural Development, and Water and Forests. The other portion of the production, amounting to 7 million m3 annually, will be used to supply Dakhla with drinking water. The community of Bir Anzarane and the new port city of Dakhla on the Atlantic will be the main beneficiaries.
As part of this project, DAWEC will also establish an irrigation system for 5,000 hectares of early crops. The crops are reportedly crucial for the development of agriculture. The wind-powered desalination plant in Morocco will take 30 months to construct. On the other hand, the irrigation system will take 24 months.
