TIANJIN – Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli said on Sunday Egypt aims to produce 10 million cubic metres of desalinated water per day within the next five years, a significant increase from the current 1.4 million m3/day.
He underlined the importance of localizing the manufacturing components of desalination plants in Egypt, unveiling plans to up production up to 30 million m3/day.
Madbouli made the remarks during a meeting on Sunday in China with Ni Zhen, CEO and General Manager of China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC).
Madbouli is currently on a visit to China to participate in the “Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus” summit in Tianjin on behalf of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. Egypt’s Ambassador to China Khaled Nazmi attended the meeting.
Madbouli expressed his appreciation for CEEC, noting it is one of the major companies operating in Egypt.
He said he is personally following up the company’s projects, especially those in the Financial and Business District of the New Administrative Capital.
Madbouli said the State plans to generate 42% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. He added that the government is working not only on producing renewable energy but also on energy storage.
Madbouli expressed his hope that the CEEC would help Egypt localize components for renewable energy, saying Egypt has an annual domestic demand of 5-6 gigawatts, in addition to demand for exporting energy to Europe, which is a priority for Egypt.
He said the government could provide the company with necessary incentives and offer various possible facilities to implement its projects.
During the meeting, the Chinese company’s chairman expressed his appreciation for the government’s support of the projects CEEC is implementing in Egypt and his gratitude for the existing and ongoing cooperation between the two sides in renewable energy.
He talked about the volume of the company’s investments worldwide as being one of the major firms operating in this field across 147 countries.
He said the CEEC has the best qualified personnel in the energy sector, noting that the company has executed 14 projects since 2009 when it began operating in Egypt. CEEC has relocated its regional headquarters to Cairo, reflecting its significant confidence in the Egyptian market.
He unveiled plans to start investing in seawater desalination sector, saying the company intends to invest one billion dollars over the next five years to establish Egypt as its operational hub for the region.
He added that consultations are currently being held with the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy regarding ways of joint cooperation in power generation, saying the company is prepared to localize the technology used in this field in Egypt.
