This came during a workshop, organized with representatives of the European Union, to review outcomes of the economic study of desalination plants and discuss cooperation between the Housing Ministry and the EU in the strategic plan for seawater desalination.

The deputy minister noted that Egypt's expansion to establish more desalination projects comes to bridge the gap between Egypt’s historical share of the Nile River water.

It also meant to face the continual increase in water demand due to the high rates of social and economic growth, coupled with population growth and climate change, which put constant pressures on limited water resources, he said.

He further noted that the first phase of the seawater desalination plan, which was launched in 2017, is being finalized to reach 1.3 million m3/day of desalinated water by setting up 82 desalination plants, with a total capacity of 917,000 m3/day of desalinated water.

The plan aims to reach a total capacity of 8.85 million m3/day of desalinated water by 2050. (