CAIRO - 12 May 2026: Egypt has ruled out the long-debated proposal to fill the Qattara Depression with Mediterranean seawater after a government review concluded that the project carries significant environmental, economic, and technical risks.
In a statement, the Cabinet Media Center said a ministerial committee formed in 2016 evaluated multiple development scenarios for the Qattara Depression area as part of the state’s strategy to conduct comprehensive feasibility studies before implementing major projects.
The committee assessed five different scenarios and ultimately rejected four of them, including plans involving seawater transfer to generate electricity and support development activities in the surrounding areas. The preferred scenario, according to the review, avoids using the depression as a water reservoir altogether.
The government warned that pumping Mediterranean seawater into the depression could contaminate groundwater reserves, increase soil salinity, and threaten agricultural projects and freshwater wells in surrounding areas.
The studies also highlighted potential ecological damage to Siwa Oasis and the wider Western Desert ecosystem, including risks to rare wildlife, wetlands, medicinal plants, and migratory bird habitats.
On the economic side, the government said the project could negatively affect oil and gas operations, noting that dozens of petroleum production and exploration areas overlap with the Qattara Depression region. The report also pointed to the high infrastructure and electricity generation costs associated with the project compared to alternative energy sources.
The Cabinet Media Center said the assessment reflects Egypt’s focus on making development decisions based on scientific, environmental, and economic studies aligned with sustainable development goals.
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