EBRD and IFC support seawater desalination and renewables in Egypt
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) are working with The Sovereign Fund of Egypt for Investment and Development (TSFE) and the Egyptian Government to support the preparation and procurement of four seawater desalination plants.
The EBRD and IFC signed an advisory agreement to support Egypt in structuring and implementing public-private partnership (PPP) desalination projects that will increase the supply of water in the country, particularly from sustainable, unconventional sources.
The desalination project will help to ensure Egypt’s water security, improve its resilience, mitigate the impact of climate change-induced freshwater scarcity and boost sustainable economic growth. Moreover, the electricity used to power the desalination plants will be procured from renewable energy sources.
Egypt is among the world’s most water-stressed countries and is susceptible to climate change-induced freshwater scarcity. Ensuring water security and introducing resilience and sustainability to the water supply system are a top national priority. The country aims to transition coastal areas to desalinated water as their primary water source and plans to implement total desalination capacity of 8.8 million m3/day by 2050. It intends to install this capacity with the help of private-sector expertise and capital.
Karim Badr, CEO of the TSFE Infrastructure and Utilities Subfund, said: “Through this programme, we are delivering on Egypt’s 2030 vision, which aims to diversify the country’s water resources in a sustainable manner to achieve water security. TSFE is committed to supporting the country in achieving its goals by developing such key strategic sectors and attracting the right investment and development partners. We are glad to be working with the EBRD on this programme, which has vast experience in structuring and implementing desalination PPP projects on a similar scale.”