There is a need to upgrade the existing infrastructure that currently supplies potable water to 900,000 inhabitants in Agadir, Inezgane and Aït Melloul. To address this, the Office National de Electricité et de l'Eau Potable3 has launched a MAD937m (£63.4m) public-private partnership for the finance, design, construction, operation and maintenance of a 100,000 cu m desalination plant located on the seaboard between Agadir and Essaouira.
BMCE is financing the project, which is being developed by a ‘special purpose vehicle’, SEDA, made up of a joint venture of Abengoa and InfraMaroc, a Moroccan investment fund.
Mott MacDonald will monitor the design and construction of the plant and analyse potential risks for the lender. The consultancy will also be responsible for reviewing administrative procedures, the development of studies, works progress and the handover process.
Philippe Auzet, Mott MacDonald’s project director, said: “The plant will require specific equipment for treating sea water and producing potable water, including pumps, membranes for reverse osmosis and transformers. The majority of this equipment is not available on the Moroccan market and will need to be imported from Europe and Asia.”
Construction of the plant is due to be completed by the end of 2016.
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