Chlef, Algeria – Sonatrach has officially commenced construction of a major seawater desalination plant in Dahra, Chlef province. The launch ceremony, held Saturday, was overseen by Sonatrach’s CEO, Noureddine Daoudi, and attended by the Governor of Chlef, Ibrahim Ghamird, the CEO of Algerian Water Desalination Company (ADE), Lahcen Bada, the CEO of the National Company of Major Petroleum Works (ENGTP), Maamari Benyoucef, as well as local authorities, elected officials, and security representatives.
This project is part of the second supplementary national program approved by the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, aimed at bolstering water security through the construction of large-scale desalination plants in the provinces of Chlef, Mostaganem, and Tlemcen. Each plant will have a production capacity of 300,000 cubic meters per day.
The Dahra plant, located in the municipality of El Marsa, will ensure a sustainable supply of drinking water for over three million citizens across the provinces of Chlef, Medea, Ain Defla, and Tissemsilt, covering a geographical area spanning 150 to 250 kilometers. The construction of the project has been entrusted to the National Company of Major Petroleum Works (ENGTP), under the supervision of the Algerian Water Desalination Company (ADE), both subsidiaries of Sonatrach. This underscores Sonatrach’s commitment to supporting strategic projects with social and economic impact.
The project will create a significant number of jobs during both the construction and operation phases, in addition to supporting training programs and developing national expertise in the field of desalination. It also represents a pivotal step within the national vision to increase the production capacity of desalinated water to 5.6 million cubic meters per day by 2030, thereby enhancing sustainable water security and meeting the social and economic development needs across various provinces of the country.
The launch of this project reflects Sonatrach’s continued commitment to accelerating the transition towards lasting water security and building infrastructure capable of facing future challenges and ensuring the sustainability of vital resources.
