The Al Baidaa Desalination Company consortium —ACCIONA (50%), Green of Africa (45%) and AfriquiaGaz (5%)— has announced the signing of the financing for the Casablanca desalination plant, the largest in Africa and the world’s largest powered entirely by renewable energy.
With a production capacity of 300 million m³ per year, supplying drinking water to 7.5 million people and supporting potential agricultural use, the plant will use reverse osmosis technology powered entirely by the 360MW Bir Anzarane wind farm, which will dedicate 47% of its output to the new facility. ACCIONA will be responsible for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the plant for a 27-year period.
Located in Sidi Rahal, in the Greater Casablanca area, the desalination plant represents a total investment of MA$6.5 billion (€613 million) and will be executed under a public-private partnership contract with Morocco’s Office National de l'Électricité et de l'Eau Potable.
The project responds to the growing demand for drinking water in Morocco’s economic capital. It will benefit the residents of Casablanca, Settat, Berrechid, and Bir Jdid, as well as neighboring regions.
ACCIONA will be responsible for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the plant for a 27-year period
The plant will produce 250 million m³ of drinking water for the population and up to 50 million m³ for regional agriculture each year, making a significant contribution to local economic and social development.
The project financing is structured with 80% debt and 20% equity. The participating financial institutions include FIEM through ICO, Société Générale (with coverage from Cesce, the Spanish Export Credit Agency, via the Green Investment Policy), Attijariwafa Bank, Banque Centrale Populaire, Bank of Africa, Caixa and COFIDES. This reflects the confidence of both national and international financial institutions in the project, as well as the support of Spain’s state-backed financial instruments.
The plant is scheduled for completion in 2028. This is the second contract awarded to ACCIONA’s Water division in North Africa, following the construction of the Fouka desalination plant in Algeria in 2007, which remains in operation by the company today. This region has become one of the areas with the greatest growth potential for water desalination due to widespread scarcity.
Growing market
ACCIONA began its operations in Morocco more than 70 years ago, where it has completed over 70 projects: port works, hydraulic works, roads, airports, dams, a hospital, educational centers, and industrial complexes.
One of the most emblematic projects built by ACCIONA in Morocco is the Oum Azza water treatment plant, developed in consortium with the Moroccan company EMT, to reinforce the water supply to the coastal area of Rabat-Casablanca, one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, with more than five million inhabitants.
Previously, a consortium composed of ACCIONA’s Water division and ADASA was awarded the contract to implement automation and remote control for the water supply networks of four cities in Morocco (Settat, Nador, Meknes, and Ifrane) and their surrounding areas, serving approximately 5.3 million people, about a sixth of the country's population. Another notable project by ACCIONA in the country is the Al Wahda Dam, once the largest in Morocco and the second largest in Africa.
Furthermore, ACCIONA Energía developed the Noor-1 solar thermal plant in Ouarzazate, with a 160MW capacity.
