Supplying potable water to Sharm El Sheikh hotels - Desalination plant
Capacity 20,750 m3/day
Sharm El Sheikh – Eight operational water desalination plants that treat seawater to produce fresh water with a total capacity of 20,750 m3/day and a 40km associated pipeline network, which is helping to meet commercial needs in a water-scarce region and support economic growth.
Sharm El Sheikhis on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula and on the coastal strip along the Red Sea. The city stands as a premier tourist destination in Egypt, attracting thousands of tourists every year and placing considerable pressure on the area’s water resources.
AWID assets in Sharm El Sheikh comprise the largest infrastructure facilities that supply desalinated water to tourism facilities. The first and main plant is the Central plant which encompasses Nabaq Central Plant extending 40km through the Nabaq area. The central plant also includes Refia and Dahabia plants that primarily supply potable water for the hotels in the city and secondary for other commercial and industrial needs. The collective capacity of the three plants is 13,500 cubic meters per day.
In addition to that, there are six onsite operational desalination plants contributing to 7,250 cubic meters per day.
This extensive water desalination infrastructure plays an indispensable role in sustaining the region’s flourishing tourism industry and fostering overall economic prosperity.
Egypt: Sharm El Sheikh
First of its kind in Sub Saharan Africa - Bulk Water Supply plant
Capacity 40,000 m3/day
Kigali Bulk Water Supply Project is a PPP project between the Government of Rwanda (GoR), represented by the Ministry of Infrastructure, Water, Sanitation Corporation (WASAC), the government water utility company, and KWL. The project scope involves the development, design, financing, construction, and operation of a 40,000m3/day Bulk Water Facility (BWF) south of Kigali in Rwanda. The total project costs were c. $75 million funded through a combination of debt and equity.
Under a 27- year PPP agreement, the Kigali project is a strategic move to meet the Rwanda city’s growing water demands due to population increase and urbanization. Under the PPP arrangement, the water supplied by the concessionaire, KWL is sold to the government-owned water utility company, Water and Sanitation Corporation, which is then distributed to residents in the capital to serve the city of Kigali and the neighboring district, Bugasera.
The feed source is the aquafer fed by the river water, rainwater, and underground currents from the surrounding hills, tapped through borewells constructed along the riverbank. The plant aims to achieve savings from the optimization of the underwater system’s use, along with the protection of the Nyabarongo riverbanks and the reduction of clay extraction from the marshland.
The project reached commercial operation in January 2021 and is now supplying 27% of the city of Kigali’s water needs. The positive impact on the local community and appreciation for regular running water for some remote areas has been overwhelming.
The project has strong development outcomes as it is: 1) providing clean potable water to the population, therefore, contributing to improving public health, 2) addressing Rwanda’s growing demand in the industry sector for reliable water, 3) economic growth due to improved productivity particularly for women and redeployment of Government budgetary savings to the Health sector and other economic sectors, and 4) strong demonstration effect given this is the country’s first Independent Water Producer (“IWP”) project on a large scale in the continent, therefore, contributing to private sector development.
The water from the plant is currently meeting the needs of 500,000 domestic, commercial, and industrial consumers. The Kigali PPP was the first ever project of its type under this business model in sub-Saharan Africa (outside of South Africa). The project won multiple awards including IJ Global’s“African Water Deal of the Year” in 2018.
