Egypt is planning to develop three desalination projects as public-private partnership (PPP) schemes in 2015, MEED’s Invest in Egypt conference has been told.

Speaking at the event in Abu Dhabi on 27 November, Atter Ezzat Hannoura, director, PPP Central Unit, Ministry, said that three proposed PPP desalination schemes would be put to the market in 2015.

Two projects are due to tendered in March. These are a planned 40,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d) plant and a 20,000 cm/d plant planned at Sharm el-Sheikh. Hannoura also said a much larger plant of 250,000 cm/d was also being planned, which is set to be developed in two phases. The study for the project is expected to be completed in February 2015.

The conference heard earlier from Mostafa Madbouly, minister for housing utilities and urban communities, that the country’s population was growing at a rate of 2 per cent a year, which was creating a need for new water desalination plants.