Egypt looks to close freshwater gap with Amea Power desalination plants

Amea Power is reportedly in advanced talks with the Egyptian government to develop three seawater desalination plants with a combined capacity of up to 300k cbm per day, Chairman Hussain Al Nowais was quoted as saying. Two plants would be built on the Mediterranean coast and one on the Red Sea, with Amea expected to fund, design, build, and operate the projects.

Why Egypt: The country needs 114 bn cbm of freshwater annually but gets only around half from natural resources, forcing it to lean on wastewater reuse, groundwater, and food imports. The government is already scaling its desalination infrastructure, with 129 operating plants totaling 1.41 mn cbm per day and another 19 under construction.

Joining up

The Oman Investment Authority and the Jordanian Social Security Investment Fund set up a USD 100 mn joint investment company “to invest in a number of vital and promising sectors that serve the economic priorities of the two countries,” according to a statement. These sectors include CIT, food and agriculture, medical equipment, medicine, energy, mining, tourism, and logistics services. The fund was set up with a 50/50 split.

Farm to table

UAE-Syria commercial ties are extending into food supply chains: The two countries are launching an agricultural system covering the entire food supply chain, Syrian state news agency Sana reports. ADX-listed food retail and real estate investor Mair Group will set up four processing centers in Syria, while UAE-based software and agritech firm NVSSoft develops the digital platform. Syrian farmers will export fresh produce directly to the UAE via Iraq.