Mostaganem, Algeria – Construction has commenced on a major seawater desalination plant located east of Mostaganem province. The project was inaugurated on Saturday by the CEO of Sonatrach, Nordine Daoudi, and the CEO of Algerian Water Desalination Company (a Sonatrach subsidiary), Lahcen Bade, alongside local authorities.
The plant, situated on the coast of Sidi El Adjjal in the municipality of Khadra, is part of a supplementary program approved by the Council of Ministers last October, under the direction of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. This program aims to establish three new desalination plants in the provinces of Mostaganem, Tlemcen, and Chlef, each with a daily production capacity of 300,000 cubic meters.
Speaking to the press at the launch, Daoudi emphasized Sonatrach’s commitment to cost control, timely completion, and efficient maintenance for this and other similar projects. He further highlighted that all aspects of the project will be executed by Algerian expertise, including engineers, technicians, and skilled labor.
The desalination plant, entrusted to the Algerian Company for the Realization of Industrial Projects (an affiliate of Sonatrach), will cover an area of 12 hectares. It is expected to produce 300,000 cubic meters of desalinated water daily, benefiting approximately 3 million residents in Mostaganem and neighboring provinces such as Relizane, Tiaret, and Tissemsilt.
Utilizing state-of-the-art technology, including reverse osmosis, the facility is projected to create 1,500 jobs during peak construction and 100 permanent positions once the first phase is operational. The initial phase, with a capacity of 150,000 cubic meters per day, is slated for completion within 22 months.
The supplementary program, encompassing the three desalination plants, seeks to bolster water security in western Algeria by reducing reliance on traditional surface and groundwater resources. The overall goal is to achieve a national production capacity of 5.6 million cubic meters per day of non-conventional water resources (desalinated water) by 2030, representing 60% of the country’s drinking water needs.
