Mott MacDonald has been appointed lender’s technical advisor by the SEDA special purpose vehicle for the development of a desalination plant in Morocco.
Existing infrastructure that currently supplies potable water to 900,000 inhabitants in Agadir, Inezgane and Aït Melloul is in need of upgrading. To address this, the Office National de Electricité et de l'Eau Potable has launched a MAD937 million (€87 million) public-private partnership for the finance, design, construction, operation and maintenance of a 100,000 cu m desalination plant located on the seaboard between Agadir and Essaouira.
Mott MacDonald will monitor the design and construction of the plant and analyse potential risks for the lender. The consultancy will also be responsible for reviewing administrative procedures, the development of studies, works progress and the handover process.
Philippe Auzet, Mott MacDonald’s project director, said: “The plant will require specific equipment for treating sea water and producing potable water, including pumps, membranes for reverse osmosis and transformers. The majority of this equipment is not available on the Moroccan market and will need to be imported from Europe and Asia.”
Construction of the plant is due to be completed by the end of 2016.