Egypt opens desalination plant operations to private sector in push for efficiency

Egypt is moving to hand over the operation and maintenance of several seawater desalination facilities to specialised private-sector companies, in a bid to boost efficiency and long-term sustainability across its coastal water infrastructurem reports Zawya.

The Egyptian Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities announced that the initiative will focus on plants with a daily production capacity of more than 10,000 cubic metres. The move is framed as part of a broader push to expand public-private partnerships in the country's infrastructure sector and introduce internationally recognised technical standards to the management of desalination facilities.

The plants earmarked for private involvement are spread across key coastal and tourism regions. Along the northwestern coast, facilities in Matruh, El Alamein, and El Dabaa are included, as are several plants in South Sinai — among them Ras Sedr, El Tor, Dahab, Nuweiba, Abu Zenima, and Sharm El-Sheikh. The list also covers a plant at Kilometre 17 in Arish and the Al-Yusr facility in Hurghada.