Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power in talks for desalination projects in Egypt

The Egyptian government is in discussions with Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power (TADAWUL: 2082) over frameworks for cooperation on seawater desalination projects, a statement from the Egyptian cabinet showed on June 8, cited by Al Ahram. 

ACWA Power currently produces around 11mn cubic metres of desalinated water per day in Saudi Arabia.

The talks took place during a meeting between PM Mostafa Madbouly and ACWA Power executives. Madbouly said work is already underway to begin implementing several desalination projects across several governorates. The government is actively seeking to attract major companies to deliver such projects, said the PM, noting that Egypt currently produces 1.8mn cubic metres of desalinated water per day and is targeting a tenfold increase to 10mn cubic metres daily. The immediate priority, he said, is securing competitive bids and moving swiftly to implementation.

Madbouly said that the government is targeting the localisation of industries linked to seawater desalination as part of broader sectoral goals. Housing Minister Randa Al-Manshawy said several meetings had already been held with ACWA Power officials to review planned desalination projects and discuss their details. She added that bids from multiple companies are under evaluation, with assessments focusing on pricing, industrial localisation, and other key criteria.

ACWA Power’s head, Mohammad Abunayyan, said the company's investments in Egypt exceed $4bn to date. He said its strong track record in Egypt's power sector was a key driver for expanding into desalination, describing Egypt as a credible and trusted partner. He added that the company had submitted bids on projects tendered by the Housing Ministry and holds a partnership with a leading membrane manufacturer, with both sides aligned on establishing a production facility in Egypt. A training centre for membrane manufacturing and plant operations is also planned.