Minister of State, Minister of Hydrocarbons and Mines, Mohamed Arkab, received Turki bin Saeed Al Omari, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s Abunayyan Holding, at the ministry headquarters on Tuesday. The meeting was also attended by the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Algeria, Abdullah bin Nasser Al Busairi, the CEO of Sonatrach, Noureddine Daoudi, the CEO of Algerian Water Desalination Company, Bada Lahcen, and ministry officials.
During the meeting, discussions focused on opportunities for collaboration and investment in seawater desalination and related infrastructure. This is within the framework of Algeria’s national seawater desalination program, aimed at strengthening the country’s water security and meeting the growing demand for drinking water, particularly in densely populated areas and the high plateaus.
Minister Arkab presented an overview of the national seawater desalination program. The initiative seeks to establish new desalination plants to cover approximately 62% of the country’s drinking water needs, excluding groundwater sources. The plan includes distributing desalinated water over distances of at least 250 kilometers from the coast.
The meeting also highlighted the experience of WETICO, a subsidiary of Abunayyan Holding, which has contributed to the implementation of desalination plants in Bejaia, El Tarf, and Cap Djinet. This reflects the existing level of cooperation and accumulated expertise in this vital sector.
The CEO of Abunayyan Holding expressed the group’s desire to strengthen its industrial presence in Algeria and localize the manufacturing of seawater desalination equipment, particularly plant membranes, along with other components and equipment related to the water production chain. He also indicated the group’s readiness to study opportunities for technology transfer and the development of local industrial partnerships, aligning with Algeria’s efforts to promote national integration and strengthen the industrial fabric in strategic areas, especially water desalination and energy.
This collaboration aims to bolster Algeria’s water resources and promote sustainable development within the nation.
DZWatch will continue to monitor developments in this crucial sector.
