• International Power, the subsidiary of the French group Engie and Nareva, the subsidiary of the Moroccan group Al Mada have joined forces to develop a wind-powered desalination plant near the city of Dakhla in Morocco.

The project which be implemented through a public-private partnership (PPP) with the joint venture Dakhla Water & Energy Company (DAWEC), will be able to supply 37 million m3 of drinking water per year, with a daily production of 100,000 m3.

AWEC won this contract in the framework of an international call for tenders in which other large groups took part, notably Veolia, which submitted a bid with its compatriot Voltalia. The Spanish company Abengoa also responded to the call for tenders alongside the Emirati independent power producer (IPP) Amea Power.

Irrigation system

In accordance with agreements signed with the Moroccan government, DAWEC will power its desalination plant with wind energy through a wind farm connected to the electricity grid of the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE).

According to the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fishing, Rural Development and Water and Forests, the majority of the treated water, that is 30 million m3, will be used for the irrigation of agricultural land. The other part of the production, which is 7 million m3 per year, will be dedicated to supplying drinking water to the city of Dakhla.

An irrigation system for 5,000 hectares of early crops will be set up and in addition to Dakhla, the desalination plant is expected to provide drinking water to the locality of Bir Anzarane and to the new Atlantic port of Dakhla. Construction of the desalination plant is expected to take 30 months, and 24 months to set up the irrigation system. About US $189M is set to be invested in the project.