Egypt awards $84.6 million in desalination plant maintenance contracts

Egypt has signed contracts worth approximately 4.6 billion Egyptian pounds ($84.6 million) with private companies to operate and maintain 11 seawater desalination plants. The facilities have a combined design capacity of 485,000 cubic meters per day.

The agreements aim to transition maintenance from reactive to preventive, reducing equipment breakdowns, optimizing energy consumption, and improving water supply reliability. The plants are distributed across three coastal regions: seven in North and South Sinai (240,000 cubic meters per day), three in Matrouh (165,000 cubic meters per day), and one in the Red Sea (80,000 cubic meters per day).

Among the contract winners is San Misr, which secured a 725 million Egyptian pound deal for the operation and maintenance of a plant west of Al Arish with a 100,000 cubic meter daily capacity. Other participating companies and consortia include Proserve, Orascom Construction, Metito-Orascom, Contrac for Services Management, and Elsewedy Utilities. The Holding Company for Water and Wastewater will maintain public supervision to ensure water quality and technical standards.