Egypt and Cyprus are enhancing their collaboration in water management and desalination to address shared challenges in water scarcity. In a recent video conference, Egypt’s Deputy Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, Sayed Ismail, met with officials from the Embassy of Cyprus in Egypt and representatives of Cyprus’s water sector, informs Zawya. The meeting focused on exchanging expertise and advancing desalination efforts to ensure sustainable water resources.
Egypt is making remarkable progress in desalination, operating 125 plants with a daily capacity of 1.31 million cubic metres. The country aims to significantly expand its capacity, targeting 2.7 million cubic metres daily by 2030 and 9 million cubic metres per day by 2050. Through public-private partnerships (PPP), Egypt is developing new desalination projects, integrating advanced technologies, and collaborating with investors to enhance sustainability and efficiency. The Egyptian government is also working to lower costs by exploring renewable energy-powered desalination.
Meanwhile, Cyprus is grappling with its own water challenges. To address water shortages, the Cypriot government announced last December its intention to expand its desalination capacity, including four mobile desalination units to provide quick relief. The anticipated investment in the new units is estimated at €66.4 million.
Las week officials announced that the tender process for one of those mobile units, the Paphos desalination unit is being fast-tracked due to the complete destruction of the previous unit in a fire last December, while the other three units are anticipated to progress through the process after the summer. The announcement followed a catastrophic leak at the Mavrokolympos Dam, leading to the loss of 1.3 million cubic metres of water and compounding water shortages.
Cyprus’s five permanent desalination plants currently produce 235,000 cubic metres of water daily. Plans are in place to construct two new permanent desalination plants within the next three to four years, alongside upgrades to existing facilities.
Cypriot officials praised Egypt's progress in desalination and expressed interest in strengthening bilateral cooperation. Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to exchanging knowledge and collaborating on future desalination projects.
