The general director of the Algerian Energy Company, Mohamed Boutaba, declared, Wednesday, May 15, 2024, that his country will produce 3.7 million cubic meters per day of desalinated water by the end of 2024.
Mr. Boutaba also affirmed that Algeria, a semi-arid country, has already invested $2.1 billion and plans to inject an additional $2.4 billion to implement its plan and that the country aims to achieve 5.6 million cubic meters per day of desalinated water by 2030.
For his part, the Minister of Irrigation, Taha Darbal, already declared, last March, that the first measures aimed at accelerating water productivity include the drilling of wells in several regions, as well as a construction program of seawater desalination plants in the medium and short term.
He stressed that this program includes two phases. The first was between 2022 and 2024, with the construction of five large seawater desalination plants across the coastal governorates. With an estimated production capacity of 300 thousand cubic meters per day for each of them, he hopes that these plants will come into service “by the end of the current year”. This is what emerges from his remarks, quoted by the official Algerian press agency ( APS ).
Furthermore, still, according to the same source, the second phase of this program will take place between 2025 and 2030. It will include the construction of seven additional seawater desalination plants and at the end of the first phase, the desalinated water will cover 42% of the population’s drinking water needs. At the end of the second phase, they will reach 60%.
He also explained that these seawater desalination plants will provide drinking water to residents of coastal governorates and states located 150 kilometers from these facilities.
Huge investments
Figures from the Ministry of Irrigation in Algeria indicate that the groundwater reserve is equivalent to 7.5 billion cubic meters, with an annual utilization rate of between 51% and 52%, with 2.5 billion meter cubes concentrated in the north. While the water reserve in the south is estimated at around 5 billion.
Local academic studies classify Algeria as a poor country in terms of water resources. Since the annual per capita consumption is estimated at less than 600 cubic meters. While the World Bank sets the rate at one thousand cubic meters per year.
In all sectors combined, Algeria consumes around 17 billion cubic meters of water per year. Knowing that its needs exceed 20 billion, according to expert estimates.
To respond to this, Algeria’s investments in the irrigation and water resources sector amounted to 23 billion dollars between 2001 and 2016. And this is to complete dams, water desalination plants seawater, and sewage, according to previous statements by officials and experts.
